{"id":252724,"date":"2026-07-13T08:10:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T08:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/13\/west-brom-racing-west-ham-to-sign-their-next-version-of-harvey-barnes\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T08:10:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T08:10:12","slug":"west-brom-racing-west-ham-to-sign-their-next-version-of-harvey-barnes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/13\/west-brom-racing-west-ham-to-sign-their-next-version-of-harvey-barnes\/","title":{"rendered":"West Brom racing West Ham to sign their next version of Harvey Barnes"},"content":{"rendered":"

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West Bromwich Albion<\/a> have little more than a month to go before they kick off their Championship<\/a> campaign with a trip to Carrow Road to face Norwich City in August.<\/p>\n

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The Baggies finished 21st in the second tier in the 2025\/26 campaign and are hoping to aim further up the table under permanent manager James Morrison, who has already made a couple of eye-catching additions to the squad.<\/p>\n

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Attackers Jimmy-Jay Morgan and Barney Stewart, who scored 32 goals combined last season for their respective clubs, have both been brought in on permanent deals.<\/p>\n

They both play in central attacking roles, however, and West Brom still need to add more firepower to their squad in the wide areas of the attacking set-up.<\/p>\n

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\n Why West Brom need to find their next Harvey Barnes<\/strong>
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After spending \u00a31.6m on Stewart and up to \u00a34m on Morgan, the Baggies may need to look for bargains in other positions, which is why the Premier League loan market could be an attractive route to go down.<\/p>\n

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Back in the summer of 2018, the club hit the jackpot with the loan signing of Harvey Barnes from Leicester City, as he hit the ground running as a left-sided attacker at The Hawthorns.<\/p>\n

The English forward scored nine goals and provided six assists in 26 appearances in the Championship in the first half of the 2018\/19 campaign, which convinced the Foxes to recall him in January.<\/p>\n

In the 2025\/26 season, none of West Brom’s natural wide players scored more than two goals in the second tier, as Mikey Johnston and Jed Wallace both struck twice in the division.<\/p>\n

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The lack of goal threat from Morrison’s wide players last term suggests that he still need to go back into the market this summer to find the second coming of Barnes, who offered goals on a regular basis on the left wing during his time on loan from Leicester.<\/p>\n

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\n West Brom in the race to sign star who can be their next Harvey Barnes<\/strong>
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There are plenty of young up-and-coming wingers in the Premier League who will be available on loan, and the Baggies are already looking at a starlet who could be their next version of Barnes.<\/p>\n

The Sunderland Echo reports that West Bromwich Albion are one of a number of clubs in the race to sign Brighton & Hove Albion winger Tommy Watson on loan in the summer transfer window.<\/p>\n

Leicester City, Derby County, West Ham United, and Hull City are also said to have registered an interest in the former Black Cats forward, but it is said that he is expected to sign for a Championship team, possibly ruling out the Foxes and Hull.<\/p>\n

That means that the Baggies may have to battle it out with recently-relegated West Ham and John Eustace’s Derby to secure the 20-year-old talent, who was once hailed as “immense”<\/a> by journalist Josh Bunting.<\/p>\n

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25\/26 League Cup<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

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Tommy Watson<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

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Appearances<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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3<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Goals<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Minutes per goal<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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137<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Key passes per game<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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1.7<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Big chances created<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Assists<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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3<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Whilst Watson did not score in 12 games on loan at Millwall in the second half of the season, the youngster did catch the eye in the League Cup with Brighton, scoring one goal and providing three assists in three matches, last term.<\/p>\n

The England U21 international, who scored the winner in the play-off final for Sunderland in 2025, is yet to deliver consistently at first-team level since making his breakthrough with the Black Cats, but his form at youth level suggests that it is just a matter of time.<\/p>\n

Watson scored 18 goals in 40 matches for Sunderland at U18 level and produced 14 goals and 11 assists in 32 appearances for their U21 team at academy level, showing that he does have the potential to deliver both goals and assists on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

His academy form suggests that he could be West Brom’s next version of Barnes because he is another Premier League loanee who could arrive at The Hawthorns to score goals week-in-week-out as a right-footed left winger.<\/p>\n

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The Baggies desperately need more of a goal threat from the wide areas and Watson has the potential to be exactly what they are looking for, which is why they need to push to beat West Ham to his signature.<\/p>\n