The last two Championship campaigns for West Bromwich Albion have been somewhat of a struggle, with failed playoff dreams killing their 2024/25 season, while the serious threat of relegation very nearly derailed their season just gone.
Thankfully, with James Morrison at the helm, relegation to League One was pushed to one side, as the ex-Baggies midfielder went ten games unbeaten in the dug-out, after coming in to pick up from the pieces from the disastrous winless reign of Eric Ramsay.
He has been handed the permanent gig since, in an unsurprising move, with a hope that West Brom can finally challenge for promotion again next season under Morrison’s wing.
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Morrison’s unbelievable end to the season |
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Stat |
Morrison |
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Games |
12 |
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Wins |
4 |
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Draws |
6 |
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Losses |
2 |
He will want to be backed in the transfer market, too, as the Baggies squad does need some work done to it.
West Brom could sign Sheffield Wednesday midfielder
In attack, West Brom could well do with a new striker, as Aune Heggebo squandered 14 big chances this season in the second tier.
Every formidable promotion candidate needs a potent attacker to call on, as well, with the Baggies being tipped to make a move for Ben Brereton Diaz, who is well-known for being a clinical marksman in the Championship.
Alongside Brereton Diaz, West Brom could exploit Leicester City’s relegation to League One by swooping in for Stephy Mavididi, to further spice up their attacking ranks, with Morrison’s men also allegedly keen on Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Svante Ingelsson in another raid of a relegated team.
Just named the Owls’ Player of the Year, during a traumatic bottom-of-the-table finish, Ingelsson is a man in demand, with West Brom just one of several second-tier clubs keen on the Swedish machine, with Stoke City and Preston North End also noted as being keen admirers.
Said to worth around the £500k mark, West Brom could soon seal a bargain deal for a combative midfielder who will be ready to take the Baggies to that next level.
How Ingelsson could be Mulumbu 2.0
Should Ingelsson arrive at Albion then he might well become the Midlands club’s modern-day version of Youssouf Mulumbu.
The Congolese battler went on to be a mainstay of the West Brom team over many seasons, after being snapped up for only £125k in 2009.
His first full season at West Brom as a permanent member of the squad, would culminate in promotion, and he would never look back from this point on, with 151 top-flight appearances then falling into his lap, as he kept being consistently picked as a trusty part of the jigsaw.
Scoring 11 Premier League goals along the way, the 41-time DR Congo international was also well known for never being afraid to get stuck in and dirty for his team’s cause, with his ex-Baggies boss Steve Clarke once referring to him as a “key player” during West Brom’s Premier League heyday.
The dream will be to return to the top-flight, and Ingelsson will hope he has what it takes to be a Premier League regular, too, after seriously impressing in the lower depths of the second tier with Wednesday.
Hailed as a “powerful” midfielder by former Owls manager Danny Rohl, he won 4.1 duels per game this season, which is more than the lively Jayson Molumby managed back at the Hawthorns who came in with a lesser average of 3.5. In that regard, he’s certainly got the physicality to match Mulumbu.
Saying that, the Wednesday star also has a Mulumbu-like eye for a goal and an assist. Ingelsson has two goals and five assists next to his name across the Owls’ last two campaigns in the Championship, with the Swede no doubt shining even more in the demanding division, if freed from a relegation-doomed environment.
A clear fan favourite at Hillsborough during dark times, Ingelsson will pray – if he does take this leap to the Hawthorns – that he is adored by his new set of supporters quickly, as Morrison goes about constructing a promotion-ready squad at West Brom.
If all goes to plan, Ingelsson will seal promotion during his first Championship season at the club, just like Mulumbu, as a new midfield fighter is cheered on by the diehard masses.
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