Worse than Mustapha: West Brom signing looks like their next Bany

West Bromwich Albion extended their run of games without a win under new head coach Eric Ramsay to seven in all competitions on Saturday.

The Baggies were beaten fairly comfortably by Norwich in the FA Cup, losing 3-1 at Carrow Road, and could have no complaints with the result in the end, despite having some hope when it went to 1-1 through Josh Maja in the second half.

Ramsay’s time in charge of the club so far could be best summed up by a moment that happened in the second half. The team had a free-kick just inside the Norwich half and the manager called Charlie Taylor to tell him to go forward to lump the ball into the box, but as the centre-back started jogging forward, Alex Mowatt, who was in earshot of the boss, played the free kick short to build from the back.

It does not look like a group of players who have bought into the former MLS manager’s low possession and set-piece focused style of play at this moment in time, which is reflected in the poor results on the pitch.

However, the problems at The Hawthorns go above and beyond Ramsay, because there have been too many underwhelming signings that have not worked out, and the hope will be that Hindolo Mustapha does not become one of them after a difficult debut.

Why West Brom should be patient with Hindolo Mustapha

The Crystal Palace loanee was handed his debut against the Canaries in the cup on Saturday, playing alongside Josh Maja in the 4-4-2 set-up for the Baggies.

Mustapha, though, struggled against Ruairi McConville and Harry Darling, losing 100% of his duels and making just three passes before being substituted at the break for Mowatt.

The Eagles youngster should not be written off just yet. Indeed, this was his professional debut and his record at academy level suggests that there is more to come from him.

Mustapha scored 18 goals and provided 18 assists in 64 matches for Palace’s U18s and U21s combined before his loan move to West Brom on deadline day, suggesting that the potential is there for him to deliver quality in the final third.

It is, therefore, worth being patient with the Sierra Leone international because he is in the very early stages of his senior career and could develop into an exciting player in the weeks to come.

Meanwhile, there is another player signed by the Baggies during the January transfer window who is looking like the club’s biggest disappointment since Tammer Bany.

Another Tammer Bany situation on the cards for West Brom

West Brom paid £3.3m to sign Bany from Danish side Randers in February of last year and, 12 months on, he has played 51 minutes across five Championship matches.

The Jordan international has been out with a thigh injury since December, but had only played one minute in the first 22 games of the season, despite being available for selection.

Bany, 22, currently looks like a huge flop, particularly for the money spent on his services, because he has barely been able to get onto the pitch.

Now, Danny Imray, signed on loan from Palace in January, has already played more minutes for the club than the Danish-born striker, but he looks like the club’s biggest flop since they signed the forward from Randers.

The 22-year-old full-back is not in the same boat as Mustapha, as he played 39 games in League Two last season and 13 matches in League One on loan this term. He is not a completely inexperienced and young player who should be afforded a lot of patience.

Unfortunately, he has had a nightmare start to his loan spell at The Hawthorns and currently looks like the club’s most underwhelming signing since they brought in Bany.

He ranks even lower than Toby Collyer, whose loan was cut short due to injury, because the Manchester United youngster did show some positive signs in his limited minutes, completing 88% of his passes and winning 52% of his duels.

Imray, however, has lost 65% of his duels across three Championship matches, completed 68% of his attempted passes, and not created a single chance for his teammates.

In the loss to Norwich, the full-back created one chance, which was not a ‘big chance’, and lost possession a whopping 16 times, often letting himself down with poor touches.

On top of his struggles physically and in possession, his defensive work left a bit to be desired, as Norwich players dribbled past him on three occasions, which is why he is even worse than Mustapha, who could be an exciting talent, but just had a difficult first game.

At this moment in time, Imray looks below the standard, physically, technically, and defensively, required to perform well against Championship opposition.