Albion have extended the contracts of four youngsters ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Defender Jamal Mohammed and goalkeeper Ben Cisse have penned one-year contracts until June 2027 - with the option of a further year in the club’s favour - while fellow stopper Brian Okonkwo has signed a two-year deal until the summer of 2028.
And following a successful trial period with the Under-18 side last term, the Baggies have also signed promising shot-stopper Will Rutter on a two-year deal - committing his future to The Hawthorns until June 2028.
Centre-half Mohammed, who initially joined Albion as a 16-year-old from Peterborough United, played his first senior minutes out on loan last season - racking up 15 matches for non-league Gloucester City in England’s seventh tier.
The defender was an integral part of the Tigers’ XI, helping them reach the Southern Premier League Play-Offs which they, sadly, fell short in - bowing out in the final.
Goalkeeper Cisse, a member of the club’s Academy since the age of nine, also spent time away from the Black Country over the 2025/26 campaign - playing a month's loan with Northern Premier League outfit Rushall Olympic at the beginning of the term.
This came after his initial taste of senior football at Alvechurch during the 2024/25 season, and the 20-year-old returned home to help the club's Under-21 team achieve success - getting to the Premier League Cup semi-finals.
Former Arsenal academy product Okonkwo became a Baggie in September 2025 and established himself as a regular between the sticks for the PL2 side, featuring in 17 matches across all competitions.
The 20-year-old played a pivotal role in getting the U21s into the latter rounds of the PL Cup, while also exhibiting his skillset against international opposition in the PL International Cup - where his shot-stopping abilities at crucial moments kept Albion's young pros in contests against high-calibre opposition.
Another shot-stopper who will be looking to follow in Brian’s footsteps is 18-year-old Rutter.
A product of Brighton & Hove Albion’s academy system since under-10s, Will impressed over six matches in Chay Thompson’s young Baggies during the latter part of 2025/26 and he’ll now further boost the academy goalkeeping ranks ahead of the new campaign.
On the quartet, Academy Manager Richard Stevens said: “It’s a positive step for the players who’ve been at the club to have another year to progress.
“Jamal and Ben needed another year to continue their maturity in the game. Both trained with the first team at points last season, and both could get similar opportunities again when the time is right.
“We’re very lucky at the club to have some really talented goalkeepers, whether that be Joe (Wallis), Ben, Brian, Will, Maxwell (Moses), and we’re here to help them use that time to their advantage.
“On Brian, he came into our programme late last season, but he used that time to do a lot of work with Head of Academy Goalkeeping, Phil Smart, and in the first team with Boaz Myhill as well.
“He’s an important part of our programme and if you look at most goalkeepers, historically, they need more development time, loan moves, opportunities and patience as well.
“Brian made a big impact at the football club and I believe he will benefit from the programme over the coming season.
“There’s so many matches in academy football, while balancing getting players loan moves over the course of the season, and Will came in towards the end of the campaign to help continue that process.
“He did really well in the games he played, had a good schooling at Brighton, and our job is provide two important years of development to see where Will can take his career next.”
