{"id":244654,"date":"2026-05-22T07:15:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/better-than-maja-dike-west-brom-must-sign-former-sheffield-united-striker\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T07:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:15:12","slug":"better-than-maja-dike-west-brom-must-sign-former-sheffield-united-striker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/better-than-maja-dike-west-brom-must-sign-former-sheffield-united-striker\/","title":{"rendered":"Better than Maja &#038; Dike: West Brom must sign former Sheffield United striker"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.footballfancast.com\/tag\/west-bromwich-albion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">West Bromwich Albion<\/a> were able to breathe a much-needed sigh of relief at the end of the season.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>Despite a late point deduction, they had survived a major relegation scare in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.footballfancast.com\/tag\/championship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Championship<\/a>, whilst the likes of Leicester City stole the unwanted headlines.<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:50%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/james-morrison-west-brom-championship.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/james-morrison-west-brom-championship.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/james-morrison-west-brom-championship.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/james-morrison-west-brom-championship.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/james-morrison-west-brom-championship.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/james-morrison-west-brom-championship.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/james-morrison-west-brom-championship.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> If last season proved anything, though, it is that relegation is all too possible for those at the Hawthorns, who cannot afford to get things wrong in the summer transfer window.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-west-brom-must-welcome-attacking-stars-this-summer\">\n                        <strong>Why West Brom must welcome attacking stars this summer<\/strong><br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<p>When West Brom complete the post-mortem on their season, they will discover that the main cause of death was their frontline.<\/p>\n<p>The likes of Daryl Dike, who has since been released, Karlan Grant and Josh Maja all endured a disappointing season as the Baggies scored just 48 goals in the Championship &#8211; a lower tally than the relegated Leicester side.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                              \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"new-jack-clarke-west-brom-sheffield-united-could-sign-tommy-watson\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>                                                                                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.footballfancast.com\/new-jack-clarke-west-brom-sheffield-united-could-sign-tommy-watson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n                        <img width=\"440\" height=\"248\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"jack-clarke-ipswich-championship\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/jack-clarke-ipswich-championship.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=124&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/jack-clarke-ipswich-championship.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=124&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>Related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \">\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.footballfancast.com\/new-jack-clarke-west-brom-sheffield-united-could-sign-tommy-watson\/\" title=\"The new Jack Clarke: West Brom &amp; Sheffield United could sign \u00a310m star on loan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tThe new Jack Clarke: West Brom &amp; Sheffield United could sign \u00a310m star on loan<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">West Brom and Sheffield United must rival each other to sign a \u00a310m winger.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Fixing that problem seems to be at the top of the club&#8217;s priority list, given that they&#8217;ve released the injury-prone Dike after four years in the Midlands.<\/p>\n<p>The American wasn&#8217;t the only attacking star to leave, either. Winger Jed Wallace was also let go at the end of the season &#8211; again highlighting West Brom&#8217;s intention to rebuild their frontline.<\/p>\n<p>Whether Grant and Maja will suffer similar fates at a price this summer remains to be seen. For the time being, they&#8217;ve been trusted to turn things around alongside any potential arrivals, the pair both handed new deals by the club.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-container\">\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" cellspacing=\"1\" style=\"\" align=\"\" summary=\"\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\" style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Championship 25\/26<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\" style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Maja<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\" style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Grant<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Minutes<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>1,532<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>1,620<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Goals<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Assists<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>XG<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>5.53<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>3.31<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>After scoring a combined eight league goals this season, to say that the two forwards are upgradeable in the Midlands would be some understatement &#8211; especially if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.footballfancast.com\/tag\/ben-brereton-diaz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ben Brereton Diaz<\/a> is available.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"west-brom-should-sign-brereton-diaz-to-replace-maja-amp-grant\">\n                        <strong>West Brom should sign Brereton Diaz to replace Maja &amp; Grant<\/strong><br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<p>What West Brom need right now is a proven Championship goalscorer with Premier League experience on his CV. And that&#8217;s why Brereton Diaz is the perfect option to turn to this summer.<\/p>\n<p>The Chile international, fresh from a respectable season on loan from Southampton at Derby County, would end West Brom&#8217;s search for a consistent forward, lessening the need to be wedded to Maja and Grant.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-container\">\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" cellspacing=\"1\" style=\"\" align=\"\" summary=\"\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"2\" scope=\"col\" style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Brereton Diaz 25\/26<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Minutes<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>3,067<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Goals<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>7<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Assists<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>3<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>XG<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>7.43<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>It wasn&#8217;t an outstanding season at Derby, but it was certainly consistent across the entire campaign. In the same season that Maja, Grant and Dike combined for just ten league goals, Brereton Diaz reached eight himself.<\/p>\n<p>Previous reports revealed that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.footballfancast.com\/west-brom-middlesbrough-could-sign-new-dwight-gayle-ben-brereton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">West Brom are interested<\/a> in the 27-year-old and they would be wise to turn that interest into an offer this summer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:50%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mixcollage-21-may-2026-02-18-pm-1801.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mixcollage-21-may-2026-02-18-pm-1801.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mixcollage-21-may-2026-02-18-pm-1801.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mixcollage-21-may-2026-02-18-pm-1801.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mixcollage-21-may-2026-02-18-pm-1801.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mixcollage-21-may-2026-02-18-pm-1801.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mixcollage-21-may-2026-02-18-pm-1801.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"826\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"ben-brereton-diaz-derby\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mixcollage-21-may-2026-02-18-pm-1801.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mixcollage-21-may-2026-02-18-pm-1801.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Even after spy-gate exposed Southampton&#8217;s wrongdoings and cost them their place at Wembley, Brereton Diaz is likely to be surplus to requirements at St Mary&#8217;s next season.<\/p>\n<p>It was this time last year that he was preparing for a loan move to Derby. Now, if he is available, West Brom should look to gain the edge over their rivals and welcome much-needed attacking expertise.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s worth noting that Brereton Diaz&#8217;s efforts very nearly helped Derby into the playoffs. He helped the Rams go from 19th and battling relegation to just four points behind the top six. It was an incredible transformation, with the former Sheffield United man certainly playing his part.<\/p>\n<p>One year on from his loan move to Pride Park, he could receive the chance to make the same impact at West Brom. The Baggies, like Derby one season ago, just endured a season scrapping for their second-tier status, but will have their sights set on the top six as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p>The experienced goalscorer would simply be an excellent upgrade on Dike, Maja and Grant this summer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                              \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"west-brom-must-rival-blackburn-to-sign-best-since-bellingham-dele\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>                                                                                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.footballfancast.com\/west-brom-must-rival-blackburn-to-sign-best-since-bellingham-dele\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n                        <img width=\"440\" height=\"248\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jude-Bellingham-Birmingham-City\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/jude-bellingham-birmingham-city.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=124&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/jude-bellingham-birmingham-city.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=124&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>Related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \">\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.footballfancast.com\/west-brom-must-rival-blackburn-to-sign-best-since-bellingham-dele\/\" title=\"West Brom must rival Blackburn to sign the EFL&#039;s biggest star since Bellingham\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tWest Brom must rival Blackburn to sign the EFL&#8217;s biggest star since Bellingham<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">West Brom and Blackburn could sign a player who&#8217;s &#8220;similar&#8221; to Jude Bellingham this summer.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.footballfancast.com\/west-brom-could-sign-maja-dike-upgrade-in-ben-brereton-diaz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>West Bromwich Albion were able to breathe a much-needed sigh of relief at the end of the season. Despite a late point deduction, they had survived a major relegation scare in the Championship, whilst the likes of Leicester City stole the unwanted headlines. If last season proved anything, though, it is that relegation is all [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":244655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6808],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-244654","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}