West Brom head of first team sports science and strength and conditioning Matt Bickley has quit the Baggies to join Stoke City, according to Training Ground Guru.
The website announced on Tuesday, November 14, that Bickley, who has been a member of Albion’s squad since 2015, will be leaving The Hawthorns to take a position as head of sports science at Championship rival Stoke, bringing an end to his nearly nine-year tenure in the Midlands.
Since Paul Walsh left Stoke just before the start of the preseason after three years with the team to take up the same position with Ireland Under-21s, the Potters have not had a head of sports science.
Considering how long Bickley has been a member of the West Brom team, this news probably caught them off guard. Additionally, considering the importance of sports scientists and strength and conditioning coaches in today’s game, it could be a setback for the Baggies.
It is unfortunate that Bickley left for a Championship rival as well. Albion loses a valuable employee behind the scenes, and the team that faces them in the Championship gains from his departure.
What will be interesting is how this changes the Baggies this season. A new head of strength and conditioning and sports science could well change the way in which West Brom trains and prepares for games and could impact the number of injuries experienced in the future.
Carlos Corberan’s side have been ravaged by injuries at times this season, with the likes of Daryl Dike, John Swift and Josh Maja all sidelined for periods of the campaign. While that is not the fault of Bickley, a change of training method behind the scenes could impact the fitness of the team.
West Brom fans will just have to wait and see how this change impacts the side over the coming weeks and months of the campaign. It’s hard to judge just how big a blow this could be or what sort of effect it will have on Albion.
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