West Bromwich Albion have said goodbye to many of the club’s long-standing servants this summer.
Indeed, the Baggies finally pulled the plug on Daryl Dike after an injury stint in the West Midlands, Dike managed to be fit enough to make 68 Championship appearances, over four years.
In addition to leaving America, West Brom also decided to part with Jed Wallace in another sad journey.
Amassing 16 goals and 16 assists in 150 games for the Hawthorns, the veteran will be sorely missed.
However, it was the right time to sever the well-established ties, as his playing had been in the spotlight for a long time.
Why West Brom were right to offload Jed Wallace
Wallace has already found a new club to call home, despite West Brom’s relegation, when the 32-year-old was unveiled as a Bristol City player at the start of July.
The Robins will hope they can get more out of the experienced striker than West Brom have been able to do in his last few seasons in the Midlands, with Wallace scoring three Championship goals in his last two memorable campaigns.
|
Wallace’s drop in form at West Brom |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The season |
Games |
Terms + Help |
|
25/26 |
25 |
3 + 2 |
|
24/25 |
30 |
1 + 1 |
|
23/24 |
43 |
6 + 5 |
|
22/23 |
50 |
6 + 8 |
He collected 12 heavy league strikes in his first two seasons at the Hawthorns, so there is some logic behind Robins’ transfer selection, but this drop will worry fans of the Ashton Gate giants, with his best years behind him.
The loss of Wallace, despite his hit and miss performances of late, has left a hole in West Brom’s squad, however, with no known right-backs in the rest of the camp.
Mike Johnston is the only option for James Morrison to fall back on at left-back, although the Republic of Ireland international found himself in and out of the treatment room last season along with the aforementioned Dike.
A new signing for the winger could be considered a priority, so, with the transfer window going well, an upgrade on the aging Wallace should be considered.
Why West Brom must sign Leicester City star
West Brom have already been very busy in the transfer department this summer, with both Barney Stewart and Jimmy Jay Morgan joining to increase the attacking ratings.
The next attacking player to be snapped up will be Leicester star Stephy Mavididi, who it was reported in May that the Baggies could sign at the end of the season.
Like Wallace, he is not without his faults, having just finished a difficult three-goal season in the Championship, which ended with the Foxes suffering the fate of back-to-back relegations.
However, when he’s playing at his best, he’s very difficult to get involved in the sought-after second tier, with an impressive 12 goals and six assists collected in the 2023/24 season for Leicester helping the former Premier League champions win promotion back to the top flight.
Morrison will be praying that adding the Arsenal youngster to his ranks now will lead to further promotion, as his red-hot form under Enzo Maresca saw him labeled “the best in the Championship” by Como first-team scout Ben Mattinson.
He will be a significant upgrade on Wallace, as the new Robins striker has never hit double figures in goals in all of his four seasons at the Hawthorns.
Mavididi already has four Premier League strikes to his name, which means he could be in it for a long time with the Baggies, if Morrison successfully guides West Brom to the promised land, and the next campaign is looked at with a positive eye, even with many stars leaving the building.
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