Slaven Bilic has urged UEFA to do more to prevent clubs from losing their best young prospects, with Nathan Ferguson set to join Crystal Palace following his West Brom departure.

Ferguson was introduced to the first-team under Bilic this season, producing a series of impressive performances at full-back since their opening day victory over Nottingham Forest.

The 19-year-old has gone from strength to strength under the Croatian boss, making 21 appearances across all competitions, before encountering problems with injury.

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Ferguson was extremely close to signing for Crystal Palace in January, with his contract at the Hawthorns expiring at the end of this season.

An issue in his medical, though, ruled out an £8m move to Selhurst Park, however Roy Hodgson has confirmed that the Eagles are still pursuing the youngster after failing to sign a new deal at West Brom.

This means that, after nearly receiving £8m for their talented youngster, Albion are now set to lose Ferguson for a compensation fee, which is undoubtedly frustrating news for the club.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Bilic has opened up on Ferguson's pending move to Palace, sharing his frustrations at losing his player for practically nothing.

He said: "That [the Palace move] was like a secret for the last few months. We did our best.

"We gave him a chance when he was extremely young. He was one of those players where we said we didn't need anyone else in that position, because we believe in him big time.

"Basically, there's no point to have the academies, because you can't tie the player up for long periods until he reaches a certain age. The player, the agent, the parents or whatever, they just take him and that has to be changed, because we are a good club, and we can't buy another Nathan Ferguson.

"To replace him, we would have to spend £15m for a full-back, and we can't spend that money on a player in that position."

"They [the football's authorities] have to find something," he said. "They have to protect - let's call them - 'smaller' clubs."

The Verdict

It is a massive blow for West Brom as they could have really benefited from Ferguson's departure from a financial perspective.

He was excellent in the first-half of the season and looked to be a real star, however West Brom are set to miss out on his development.

This has nearly happened in the past with Rekeem Harper and Celtic, so they need to get a grip of their youth contract policy for sure.