After a very topsy and turvy season, West Bromwich Albion will be looking forward towards the next season. The Baggies had a quite eventful campaign and the finish could have been better had they not lost their last few games.
Nevertheless, Tony Pulis will try to build on this season’s positives, as the gaffer has his sights set for the upcoming campaign. They finished in the ninth position which is quite a commendable job with this squad. This is only the second time in the club’s history that they have managed to grab a place in the top half.
With TV viewership money flowing in heavily, we might see a number of high-profile arrivals at the Hawthorns. A large chunk of the £114million prize money also will be used in an order to freshen up the squad.
Fabian Delph
With Darren Fletcher’s departure, there is a big gap to fill up and Pulis has been looking for suitable options. Fletcher’s departure is more of a shock as the player was approached by the club to extend his current contract. But deep down the lane, Stoke City’s offer was too good to resist and the 33-year-old decided to join the Potters in a two-year deal with an option to extend it for a further year.
Fabian Delph’ Manchester City career turned out to be a disaster as his plan to leave Aston Villa knocked him back. But still, he is only 27 and Pulis would need this kind of a player to marshal the midfield next season. If Delph does join, he will have plenty of completion but this sort of competition is very healthy for a club who are growing at a very fast pace.
Kelechi Iheanacho
West Brom’s most desired need currently is a prolific goal poacher. The attacking pair of Salomon Rondon and Hal Robson-Kanu has shared ten goals between them and it’s been a messy situation in attack.
Iheanacho is young, strong and has the hunger to score goals. He has been a bit of a part player under Pep Guardiola and with Gabriel Jesus’ arrival, he is looking to move elsewhere. Iheanacho could be a perfect fit for Pulis’s team and City wouldn’t mind letting him go for a fair price.
Phil Jones
Pulis will be aware of his ageing backline and to match up with the growing pace of the Premier League, the need of a young and energetic centre-back will be felt. Phil Jones has fallen in the pecking order despite performing pretty good in the recently concluding season at the Old Trafford and could be an option for the Baggies.
West Brom’s relation with United has shaped pretty well as a number of players including Darren Fletcher and Johny Evans switched their allegiance to the Hawthorns. Jones could join his ex-colleague Jonny Evans in the centre of defence at his new club.
