Better than Heggebo & Ohashi: West Brom must beat Blackburn to sign 15-goal star

West Bromwich Albion made their first move of the summer transfer window earlier this week when they confirmed that Max O’Leary has put pen to paper on a new three-year deal at the club.

The former Bristol City shot-stopper joined the Baggies on a short-term deal in the January transfer window and his initial contract was due to expire at the end of next month.

Now, O’Leary is locked in at The Hawthorns until the summer of 2029 and could be James Morrison’s first-choice between the sticks heading into next season.

West Brom also need to make additions to their squad at the other end of the pitch, though, if they want to be in contention to earn promotion from the Championship next term.

The Baggies and Blackburn Rovers finished 21st and 20th, respectively, in the second tier this season and both need to be in the market to improve their options in the final third in the summer transfer window.

Why West Brom and Blackburn need to improve their attacks

Both teams need to add to their attack because they both ranked within the five clubs with the fewest goals scored in the Championship across 46 matches this season.

West Brom only scored two more goals than games played, whilst Rovers only scored 42 times in 46 games, with only Sheffield Wednesday scoring fewer.

The Baggies showed some promise at times, with a 3-0 win over Watford under Morrison, but they failed to deliver consistently at the top end of the pitch.

Aune Heggebo was the club’s top goalscorer in the Championship with nine goals to his name, whilst Yuki Ohashi topped the charts for Blackburn with a return of ten goals in 46 outings.

These statistics show that both clubs should be looking to add to their ranks in the final third before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September, because they did not find the back of the net frequently enough over the past nine months.

West Brom must beat Blackburn to 15-goal centre-forward

The two Championship teams have already been linked with a move for a new centre-forward who is even better than both Heggebo and Ohashi.

West Brom, Queens Park Rangers, and Blackburn have all been named as potential suitors for Lorient number nine Bamba Dieng ahead of the summer transfer window, as he is set to become a free agent at the end of June.

The 26-year-old striker, who is in the provisional Senegal squad for the World Cup this summer, is coming off the back of an impressive season in Ligue 1 with Lorient, and could be a phenomenal signing for the Baggies or Rovers.

A return of ten goals in 15 starts in one of Europe’s major leagues is nothing to be sniffed at. He enjoyed a sublime campaign with the French side and will be worthy of a place in Senegal’s World Cup squad if he makes the final cut.

Dieng scored more goals in 15 starts in Ligue 1 than Heggebo, who scored nine goals in the Championship, managed in 37 starts in the second tier of English football.

The Lorient marksman also scored five goals in three cup matches in the 2025/26 campaign, taking his tally to 15 goals in 25 matches in all competitions, which means that he scored more goals than any player for Blackburn or West Brom did.

Dieng scored as many goals in the league as Ohashi, who also scored ten goals, but he did so playing at a higher level in one of Europe’s major top-flight divisions, and did so in 23 fewer starts than the Japanese number nine.

His form in Ligue 1 and in the cup competitions for Lorient suggest that he is the goalscorer that Blackburn and West Brom sorely lacked in the 2025/26 campaign, and that he could be the man to lead their promotion charges next season.

At the age of 26, Dieng should be entering the prime years of his career and this means that the Baggies or Rovers could land a bargain on a free transfer, which is why Morrison must push to win the race for his signature.