West Brom look set to beat Watford for a new player

West Bromwich Albion go into the summer transfer window knowing they must improve their options at the back end of the pitch ahead of next season.

The Baggies have scored just 48 goals in 46 Championship games during the 2025/26 campaign, and have failed to score in three of their last six games under James Morrison.

Now, the club are reportedly closing in on the £1.3m signing of Chelsea midfielder Jimmy-Jay Morgan, after he spent last season on loan at Peterborough United in League One.

The 20-year-old talent, who can play as an attacking midfielder or as a second striker, has scored 12 goals at 9.28 xG in England’s third tier of football, and will now get a chance to prove himself in the Championship.

They need more attacking reinforcements because the futures of Josh Maja and Karlan Grant are still to be seen, their contracts will expire at the end of this month.

West Brom are hoping to sign a new striker

The club are hoping to sign both new contracts to keep them at The Hawthorns, but nothing is guaranteed until they sign.

However, Morrison is already eyeing another addition to the squad, behind Morgan, who could come in as a better option than Maja in the number nine role.

According to the Express & Star, West Bromwich Albion are hoping to complete a deal to sign Falkirk forward Barney Stewart during the summer transfer window.

The report claims the Baggies want to bring the Scotland U21 international to The Hawthorns and Morgan deal, instead, and are confident they can win the race for his signature.

Stewart has been linked with Championship rivals Watford and Scottish giants Celtic, meaning the club will have to beat the big clubs to land the 22-year-old striker.

However, it remains to be seen how much it will take to convince the Scottish Premiership team to part with the SFWA Young Player of the Season.

Why Barney Stewart would be better than West Brom’s Josh Maja

Even if Maja commits his future to the Baggies by penning a new contract at the club, the striker may find himself playing second or third fiddle at The Hawthorns.

Aune Heggebo was the club’s top scorer with nine goals in the Championship and looks to be the Nigerian’s best forward, while Stewart’s arrival will put another player between him and the starters.

Even if you can only count on Stewart’s form from the second half of the season after he returned from his loan spell with Dunfermline, the Scotland star looks to be a better option than Maja.

In less than half as many appearances, the Falkirk star has scored twice as many goals and provided twice as many assists as the Baggies striker, who has not fared well against his xG.

These figures ignore the fact that the Scotland U21 international also scored four goals in 11 Scottish Championship appearances on loan at Dunfermline in the first half of the campaign.

Stewart has excelled in the Championship and Premiership in the 2025/26 campaign, posing a consistent threat in front of goal, while Maja has underperformed for England’s West Brom.

These figures suggest that the Falkirk star will boost Morrison’s attack by providing more goals and assists than Maja in midfield, hoping to win more points to propel the team up the ladder.

In addition to being better than Maja on the ball, Stewart also won 4.9 duels per game and 56% of ground duels and 44% of his aerial duels in the Premiership for the Scottish team.

Meanwhile, the West Brom striker won 1.8 duels per game and lost 62% of his aerial battles and 65% of his aerial battles in the Championship, suggesting that Falkirk’s ace will also provide more physicality as a focal point at the other end of the pitch.

Therefore, signing Stewart this summer would be a good piece of business for the team as a quick upgrade for Maja to head coach.