Tony Mowbray keen to keep West Bromwich albion squad intact

May 19 2009 by Robert Tanner, Birmingham Post

That was certainly the case again against the Reds as Shelton Martis gifted Steven Gerrard the opening goal after Albion had dominated the early exchanges.

However, Martis is one of several of Mowbray’s squad who have been recruited cheaply with long-term development in mind and the Albion boss has backed the 26-year-old to become a better player.

“Shelton cost us £50,000 and here he is playing in the Premier League,” Mowbray said. “He didn’t cost us £15 million.

“I am trying to make him into a good footballer. He is a good player, a good man who wants to learn and get better, and he will learn from mistakes like that one.

“He can see the gravity of them and how important concentration is for any defender at any level.”

Amongst the potential recruits, top of the list of priorities will be the retention of on-loan striker Marc-Antoine Fortune, who should have had a hat-trick against Liverpool.

Albion are now in negotiations to sign the 27-year-old permanently from French club Nancy.

“We have a good opportunity to sign him,” Mowbray revealed.

“He is a good man. He is at a club where his talents are appreciated. If Premier League teams are after him he can go and be a number three or four striker and sit on their bench. It depends what the boy wants to do.

“He can stay with us and score lots of goals hopefully next season and win lots of games. Then he can come back to the Premier League with a team where he is settled and enjoying his football, where the environment he comes to work in every day is conducive to making him happy.

“We all have choices in life and he will make his.”