After such a rollercoaster Championship season, West Bromwich Albion supporters would have been astonished to learn last week on social media that Brandon Thomas-Asante, a former Salford City striker, was being linked to a move up to the Premier League.
Thomas-Asante would score a reasonable 11 goals in the second division during the regular season, but he was virtually absent from Carlos Corberan’s team’s crucial play-off matches after this. In the first leg, he managed a pitiful 15 touches of the ball before being substituted out by the frustrated Spaniard.
Consequently, having previously been linked to this striker option, West Brom will undoubtedly be back in the transfer market looking for a new attacker to lead the line if the 25-year-old center-forward does decide to join the Saints in the near future.
West Brom might reapply for a free agent.
In an effort to bolster their lone striker role for the upcoming campaign, West Brom has reportedly been eager to entice former Stoke City forward Tyrese Campbell to the Hawthorns, according to sources from the Daily Mail last week.
They’re not the only team making reported advances on the now-free-agent attacker; Preston North End, Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers, and other Championship teams are among those mentioned as interested parties, in addition to Rangers in Scotland.
Released by the Potters due to his injury demons spiraling out of control, which resulted in a perpetually disturbed 2023–24 campaign, Campbell will be hoping to recover from these unwelcome setbacks and score plenty of goals once more in order to position himself for a potential move.
Why Campbell could finally replace Dwight Gayle
With Josh Maja and Daryl Dike also unreliable options in reserve up top, owing to their own injury issues, this could be a risky move, but one that pays off, especially if Campbell is able to replicate the heroics of Dwight Gayle in Albion colours.
Gayle would also arrive to the Hawthorns off an indifferent spell at Newcastle United himself before bursting into life in his new Championship surroundings, joining on loan for the 2018/19 season after only scoring six Premier League goals the campaign before for the Magpies.
The now 34-year-old free agent would go on to become an instant Baggies legend, netting 24 goals in total when donning his new West Brom strip, from just 41 games.
West Brom haven’t had such a prolific goalscorer since their former deadly loanee left, when glancing at the table above, but the Championship outfit will hope Campbell can be that lethal finisher soon, with or without Thomas-Asante staying put.
Described as being a “handful” by former Stoke manager Michael O’Neill when on top form for the Potters, the former £12.5k-per-week man still managed to bag vital goals last season for his now ex-employers, netting a crucial strike away at Southampton towards the back-end of last campaign to keep his side afloat in the second tier.
The injury-prone 24-year-old would only need 15 touches on the South Coast to fire in the winner against Russell Martin’s eventually promoted Saints, which would prove to be one of his last goal contributions for Stoke, taking his goal total to 36 from 164 games.
He could well become even more of a goal threat in his new location, surrounded by the likes of Jed Wallace and Grady Diangana teeing up chances for him, as West Brom eye another promotion charge.
