Birthday-boy Taylor Gardner-Hickman has put pen to paper on a contract which commits his future to Albion until at least the summer of 2026.
The Telford-born wing-back, who turned 20 today and has impressed for the Baggies in a variety of positions this season, has signed a new four-and-a-half-year deal at The Hawthorns.
Gardner-Hickman, who joined Albion’s academy at the age of just seven, has put in a number of eye-catching performances for Valerién Ismaël’s men after making his first-team debut against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup at the end of August.
And the Baggies boss is delighted to have secured the future of a “quality” player he describes as “fearless”.
“This is great news,” said Ismaël. “Taylor is the beginning of the project from when I came in; to link the academy to the first team. We wanted to create a pathway and Taylor is the first player me and my staff have been able to bring through.
“We hope and we want more players to follow this pathway – but this is a great statement from Taylor with this commitment to the club. Now, I am looking forward to working with him. It’s great news for everyone at the club.
“Taylor has shown already that he plays without fear, that he has a great attitude and mentality. He represents exactly what we want to see from young players. He’s hungry, he has desire, he’s fearless. He also has a lot of quality.
“After Dara O’Shea, I think he is the second one with the same profile and I’m delighted to be able to work with him in the years to come.”
