This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Comment’ series, this content strand is where the author of the article issues their personal opinion on the topic at hand....

Like many clubs in England, West Brom are immensley proud of their academy and the players they produce.

Those to emerge in recent years include the likes of Romaine Sawyers, Kemar Roofe, Rekeem Harper and Kyle Edwards and it is a talent factory that is showing no signs of slowing down.

However, whilst the talent created in the academy is undoubted, how the first-team take those players on has left plenty to be desired in recent years.

In the summer alone we have seen Louie Barry leave for Barcelona and Morgan Rodgers move to Manchester City. Two immensley talented players, but both left for compensation alone. Why? Because the club were too slow to act when it came to tying them to a new deal.

They also came very close to losing Harper, with the midfielder's contract actually expiring before eventually being persuaded to stay by Bilic.

Now, Bilic's appointment looked like a great one for plenty of reasons when it was confirmed in the summer. He was proven in English football, knows how to play attractive football, a great man-manager and already had experience in the top-flight.

One aspect that people did not perhaps expect to change was the attitude towards the young talent at the club, but since his arrival, a lesson seems to have been learnt.

Maybe it has nothing to do with Bilic. Maybe it is more to do with the arrival of the club's new head of academy, Richard Stevens.

Ultimately, though, it does not matter how it has come about, only that it has.

On Wednesday night, the Express and Star reported that the club were in discussions with 18-year-old full-back Nathan Ferguson over a new long-term deal.

He has been the surprise package of the Baggies' season, starting seven of their eight Championship matches and playing both on the right and left of the back-line. He has got the Hawthorns very excited.

Having entered the final year of his deal, it perhaps would not have looked out of place to see Ferguson's contract situation left to run for just that bit longer, as has happened with many others in recent months.

But having noticed his immediate promise, the club have acted swiftly and that is both something to be applauded and get excited about - if you are a West Brom fan anyway.

There is a serious feel good factor returning to the club, against the odds really given their frantic summer, but they now appear to be in a very good place and these negotiations with Ferguson are symptomatic of that.