Gordon Greer's out on loan season review

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How did our loans look during the 2025/26 season?

2026-06-27T06:00+01:00

Gordon Greer is Albion's pathway development manager. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

Loans play an important part in a number of young player’s journey and it’s a stage in their development that we monitor closely at the club.

While success looks different for each individual, every loan serves the same goal, exposing players to new challenges and providing the opportunity to grow as professionals.

During the 2025/26 season, we had a total of 17 players out on loan.

We sat down with Gordon Greer, Albion’s pathway development manager to review the latest campaign and discuss how his team makes informed decisions regarding our players’ development.

You had 17 players out on loan last season. Is that a typical number? What goes into deciding how many players the club sends out?

Amario Cozier-Duberry won promotion to the Championship with Bolton Wanderers. 📸 by Jake Horrocks Photography.

Honestly, there’s no exact number. It shifts every season depending on a whole range of factors. Squad dynamics at first-team level play a big part, as does emerging talent coming through, U21 players who are ready to take that next step, and players who simply need game time - whether they’re returning from injury or finding themselves out of favour. It’s a constantly evolving picture.

To put it into context, in previous seasons we’ve had as many as 25 players out on loan, so 17 reflects where we are right now as a squad.

How do you and Sam Baldock divide your time between watching loan players live versus video analysis?

Sam Baldock joined Albion's pathway development team in 2024. 📸 by James Boardman.

Between Sam and I, we make sure every single game gets watched back on video. On top of that, we’re attending live matches around twice a week on average, because there’s simply no substitute for being in the ground. Seeing a player in person gives you a different kind of insight. You pick up on things that don’t always come through on a video.

Together, those two approaches let us build a full picture, celebrating where players are thriving but also identifying the areas we need to work on to push their performances to the next level.

When does planning for the following season begin and how early are you identifying which players might benefit from a loan move?

We’re always working a window ahead so when we’re planning for this summer’s window, we’ve already been thinking about it since the winter. Part of that process is getting to know the players personally before they go out, offering honest and subjective feedback on their development so that by the time a loan move comes around, we’ve already built a real foundation of trust.

That relationship doesn’t stop when they walk out the door, it’s something we continue to invest in throughout the entire loan period and it’s great to see the players develop over time.

Finally, it must be a real highlight to see Carl Rushworth and Amario Cozier-Duberry both win promotion with their respective clubs last season?

Absolutely. While we always say that success looks different for every loan player. With both Carl and Amario we genuinely felt they had the potential for something special. The way they’ve performed and what they’ve achieved is a real testament to their quality and their dedication. They deserve every bit of credit coming their way.

Of course, not every loan unfolds like that, and we never lose sight of that reality. But whatever the outcome, our focus is always on individual progress and personal development. Every loan journey has its challenges, but within every challenge there’s an opportunity to grow and that’s what drives everything we do.

Another personal highlight for me was at the other end of the spectrum, Jacob Slater's loan to Harrogate. The club were relegated to the National League on the final day of the season. Jacob has so many ups and downs but he came through the process a better, more rounded player which will enable him to leave us and go on and have an EFL career.