Why should West Brom alert clubs to their talent-bank when Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal cherry-pick their best youngsters?

Brain drain: Brown is another player to have left the Baggies' ranks

The man in the West Bromwich Albion tracksuit was handing out leaflets on a main arterial route into the centre of Birmingham, in one of the most socially-deprived areas of the city.



His targets were the heavy Somalian population, or rather the young footballers within it, inviting them to play a trial match.



The result of the Baggies' recent recruitment drive was 165 lads turned out to play in a specially-arranged series of games.

So if people want to know why West Bromwich Albion are producing players that have been spirited away from the Hawthorns while still in their teenage years, the above is a good example.



This week, midfielder Izzy Jay Brown was pinched by Chelsea. Liverpool have grabbed playmaker Yan Dhanda. Two seasons ago, Jerome Sinclair was also spirited away to Anfield.



Now, there are others that the club could talk about. But why should they? Why alert other clubs to their talent-bank?



The compensation they will receive for those two players is a sore subject among the decision-makers - a problem we will come onto in due course.



But why are West Brom producing players like striker Sinclair, Brown and Dhanda?

There does appear to be an unusually disproportionate number of youngsters at the Hawthorns who are targeted by other, wealthier clubs. The first reason is that West Brom look in unorthodox places.



The second is that they will openly support inner-city clubs such as Handsworth United and Phoenix United with cold, hard cash - receiving in return first choice over any potential starlets.



And the third is the quality of the coaching.



Dan Ashworth, formerly the director of football, is now in charge of elite development within the Football Association.



Red alert: Dhanda has been tweeting pictures of himself at Liverpool following his switch

The club is brimful of talented and qualified coaches. Even those who run the Under 6s (yes, Under 6) possess an A licence.



They make no bones about it, either.



West Brom are happy to take in players from inner-city areas of Birmingham and the environs. But they refuse to scout the foreign markets. They are proud of the fact that England-qualified players are within their ranks.



Unfortunately, this comes at a cost.



West Brom cannot compete with those clubs who are throwing money at their own deficiencies at academy level. And it's starting to hurt.



If the cost of enticing a player away from the Hawthorns is a job for that youngster's mother and father and a guaranteed six-figure signing-on fee - not to mention a four-figure three-year contract at the end of it - it simply won't happen.



Making a point: West Brom were very impressive last season under boss Steve Clarke

Unfortunately, it is exactly that - and the lack of compensation due to the club if a young player moves that is causing problems for the likes of West Brom.



Chairman Jeremy Peace invests £2.5m in his academy annually to meet the requirements of a club that has category one status in the Elite Player Performance Plan.



The contentious point for clubs at this level is that category one status was supposed to prevent rivals with the same level effectively stealing away West Brom's players. However, an 11th-hour amendment before the rule was passed by the Premier League has rendered this condition worthless.



And so it turns out that Peace - and the Baggies - will receive £209,000 by way of recompense for Dhanda. (Brown's case will go to tribunal.) It takes a disproportionate amount of success for West Brom to make their academy pay.



You might say that a youngster making his way into the first-team would be sufficient.



That would be a cogent and sensible argument. But young English players aren't making their way into the first-team. Not just at West Brom. Not at many clubs, judging by the game-time they are receiving in the Premier League.



Sign of the times: Sinclair joined Liverpool two seasons ago

It's a conundrum that left Peace fuming. And little wonder if those talents he is unearthing are whipped away from under his nose before they even get chance to sign their first professional contract, let alone get anywhere near the Baggies' first-team.



Earlier this month he said: 'The way it is for us, in the short-term, isn't working. And I'm not convinced it will work in the medium-term.



'These lads are going to go to the big clubs. That's the seduction. Why are we spending £2.5m to be another club's academy? It's all about the top four, five, six clubs.

'We have invested in the infrastructure and we will see what happens over the next year. From what we are seeing so far, it's very disappointing.



'We have brought in a whole load of staff, built up these facilities just so another club can come along with £200,000 and go: "Thanks very much."



'It's irritating. Perhaps £2.5m would be better spent bringing in a player every year rather than spending it every year on the academy.



'They can't all go to Chelsea or Arsenal. But that's what seems to be happening.'



At the Premier League academy festivals run last season, West Brom's teams reached the semi-finals in the Under 13, Under 14 and Under 15 category along with the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.



The club is putting in the hard work to uncover these potential diamonds, polishing them - and then seeing them taken away for a fraction of their real price.



How would you feel?



West Brom keep chipping away, making in-roads. But they are receiving precious little by way of backing from the authorities to carry on their work. To prove a point, they signed one of those Somalian lads on forms this week. What price his success?



That's an easy one to answer - £209,000.

