The EFL’s new Jordan Rhodes: West Brom rivalling Watford to sign 18-goal star

West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison must use the upcoming summer transfer window to improve the attacking quality within his squad.

The Baggies only scored 48 goals in 46 games in the Championship this season, finishing 21st in the division, and need to score more goals if they want to push higher up the table.

They have already been linked with moves for new wingers to bolster their options, including Southampton’s Ben Brereton Diaz and Barnsley forward Reyes Cleary, who came through the youth ranks at The Hawthorns.

West Brom will be competing against plenty of Championship clubs to sign players for a promotion push next term, including divisional rivals Watford.

Both the Hornets and the Baggies could be in the market for similar players as they look to kick on after disappointing 2025/26 campaigns where they finished well below the top six.

Why West Brom and Watford both need to sign new centre-forwards

West Brom and Watford should both be in the market for new centre-forwards when the summer transfer window officially opens for business later this month.

No Hornets star hit double figures for goals in the Championship this season, with Udinese loanee Luca Kjerrumgaard leading the way for them with nine league goals.

They should, therefore, be looking to bring in a new centre-forward who can find the back of the net on a regular basis to push them towards the play-off places next term.

West Brom, meanwhile, may need a new striker because they have already released Daryl Dike and are still in talks with Josh Maja and Karlan Grant, whose contracts expire at the end of June.

There is a chance that Grant and Maja still walk away from The Hawthorns and that would mean that Morrison would be three strikers down heading into the window.

Now, both clubs have already been linked with a swoop for a striker who has the potential to emulate one of the great EFL strikers, Jordan Rhodes.

West Brom and Watford could sign the Championship’s new Jordan Rhodes

The former Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich City, and Blackburn Rovers star is one of the best and most consistent goalscorers to grace the second tier of English football.

Rhodes scored a whopping 123 goals in the league and won promotion to the Premier League with two different clubs, finishing second with Middlesbrough and winning the title with Norwich.

West Brom and Watford have both been touted with an interest in Falkirk centre-forward Barney Stewart, who could follow in the footsteps of the Scotland international.

The Premiership marksman is very similar to Rhodes in the sense that he was born in England, but has decided to represent Scotland at international level, playing for the U20s.

He is also similar to the former Championship goal machine because he has shown great promise as a goalscorer this season, whilst also showing that he can adapt to new levels of football.

Stewart spent the first half of the season on loan at Dunfermline and scored eight goals in 12 games, including six goals in 11 Championship matches, before being recalled by Falkirk.

The 22-year-old marksman then racked up ten goals and two assists in 21 appearances for Falkirk, including eight goals in 17 matches in the Premiership, which took his overall tally for the season to an eye-catching 18 goals. Rhodes had six career seasons with 18 or more goals.

Stewart stepped up from the Championship to the Premiership to deliver goals on a regular basis, scoring eight top-flight goals from an xG of 7.82, and that has caught Watford and West Brom’s eyes.

He is an up-and-coming young striker who looks primed to become a consistent goalscorer, given his form for both Dunfermline and Falkirk, which is why both clubs should push hard to get a deal done for him.

Stewart has the potential to be the Championship’s new Rhodes because he could be a lethal scorer who goes on to earn his stripes for Scotland at international level, despite being London born, and West Brom and Watford will both be hoping he does so for them.