Portugal and a showpiece friendly: West Brom pre-season plans revealed

West Bromwich Albion are finalising their pre-season plans after Steve Bruce confirmed he is set to stay on as manager.

The Baggies are licking their wounds after a poor season in the Championship, with Bruce unable to improve on the work of his predecessor Valerien Ismael. The four-time promotion winner will be given the chance to shake things up at The Hawthorns this summer and is already planning a ‘major rebuild’.

Promotion back to the Premier League will be expected next season and Bruce, 61, has drawn up plans for his first pre-season as Albion boss. The 2022/23 EFL season kicks off on July 30 due to the World Cup later this year and clubs are having to adjust their pre-season schedules accordingly.

Albion’s players are set to report back to the training ground on Thursday, June 23. They could be joined by some new signings with the transfer window opening on June 10 this year, although deals aren’t likely to go through until July 1.

The first two days of pre-season will include fitness testing before the squad jets off to Portugal for a warm weather training camp. Bruce has taken his Aston Villa and Newcastle United teams to Portugal in the past and Albion’s players will also be put through their paces in the Algarve.

Albion could even play their first pre-season friendly in Portugal, before returning back to the UK where further warm-up fixtures are planned. The Baggies are expected to face lower league opposition away from The Hawthorns, with discussions taking place over trips to Stevenage and Crewe Alexandra.

Albion didn’t have a showpiece friendly at The Hawthorns last year, with Ismael overseeing a 4-0 win against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on the eve of the new season. But the club are keen to attract a