West Bromwich Albion fans will hope that this season to come in the Championship can be one that is looked back on as a promotion-winning one in the years to come, after crashing out of the play-offs last term at the semi-final stages.
Supporters of the Baggies won’t read too much into the fact Carlos Corberan’s men did lose 2-1 to lower league opposition Bolton Wanderers to open their pre-season schedule, but will hope there are more incomings soon to bolster what is already a squad that can compete near the top of the frantic division.
A new midfielder being lined up to the join the ranks at the Hawthorns could well end up softening the blow of John Swift potentially moving on, with the rumoured signing a goalscoring menace all season long last campaign in League One.
West Brom could sign new midfielder
As per football journalist Pete O’Rourke, via his social media, both West Brom and Blackburn Rovers are plotting moves to try and sign Oxford United star Cameron Brannagan this off-season.
Brannagan, who was formerly on the books at Liverpool as a youngster before the U’s came calling, could well fancy testing himself higher up the Championship away from his current employers, who could be locked into a relegation battle after winning promotion up to the second tier surprisingly.
The 28-year-old certainly played his part in the underdogs leaping up to the Championship, scoring a crucial penalty to dump Peterborough United out of the play-offs on the way to a Wembley final success, and could help the Baggies recover from Okay Yokuslu’s anticipated departure.
Why Brannagan is a good Swift replacement
Brannagan is a far more forward-thinking midfield option than Yokuslu, however, and could even take up an attacking midfield position in Corberan’s XI if signed, with Swift then forgotten about if he does decide to move onto Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough.
Watching the sumptuous free-kick above that Brannagan managed against Cheltenham Town last year, it’s clear to see the ex-Reds man has a belting strike up his sleeve in crunch moments.
This could be an effective calling card next season for Corberan to rely on in tense games near the top of the table, with the skilful 5 foot 11 ace bagging 13 goals last campaign across his full League One season, even when predominantly playing from the middle of the pitch.
He could also fill in further forward for Corberan’s men if required, based on his adaptable presence pulling on an Oxford jersey in the past as can be seen above, with two goals and three assists managed from Swift’s standard attacking midfield position when lining up for the U’s.
Remarkably, Brannagan’s 13 goals last season would have made him the Baggies top scorer, beating Brandon Thomas-Asante’s lesser total of 11 in the process, with the ex-Salford City striker prone to losing his confidence racing through on goal across a sequence of barren games.
Likewise, the in-demand 28-year-old’s 13-goal total, on top of his impressive ten assists, far outweighs Swift’s nine goals and one assist he managed in the second tier last campaign, as the ex-Chelsea youth player now edges towards a possible exit out of the West Midlands club.
Described as possessing “excellent technique” by ex-Oxford boss Pep Clotet when first arriving onto the scene at the Kassam Stadium, the 28-year-old could now feel he’s outgrown his surroundings at the newly promoted side, with a possible entry up to the Premier League opening up elsewhere.
