With Ryan Mason at the helm next season, West Bromwich Albion will be venturing into unknown territory.
Appointing the 33-year-old rookie manager is a daring move that could pay off for the Baggies, but he will have his work cut out for him from the start, with Grady Diangana, who had been a fixture at the Hawthorns for some time, now on his way out.
After those high-profile departures soured the mood, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur coach has received support, most notably from Aune Heggebo, who left Brann for the Championship side for a sum of roughly £4.7 million.
Despite the Nordic striker’s exorbitant fee, top-level arrivals may not come to a halt here, as additional attacking signings appear to be targeted.
West Brom’s next moves in the market
Diangana isn’t the only noteworthy figure in attack who could leave the Hawthorns, with Mikey Johnston still sure to be disappointed after a £5 million transfer to Flamengo fell through at the last minute.
Spurs youngster Mikey Moore is likely to be on West Brom’s shopping list to improve this depleted left-hand side, but Heggebo may have competition up top very soon if the West Midlands club moves quickly to sign an EFL-experienced striker for free.
Indeed, a recent report by the Sheffield Star has indicated that Rhian Brewster is unlikely to sign a new deal with his present employers Sheffield United, leaving the door open for a suitor to sign the ex-Liverpool forward for free.
The Star adds that Sunderland are interested in the hit-and-miss Blades striker, although a SportsBoom report from early July also stated that the Baggies were interested in signing the free agent.
This interest may be reignited now that this exclusive revelation has been revealed, with West Brom maybe willing to work their Josh Maja magic on the former Blades number seven once more in order to discover a goalscoring diamond in the rough.
How West Brom can use their Maja magic on Brewster.
Before emerging into West Brom’s number one attacking option, Maja endured a grueling playing career.
The former Nigeria international first caught the attention of English football fans while rising through the ranks at Sunderland, with Maja scoring a promising seven goals in 29 Sunderland U23 appearances before taking it a step further by scoring 17 times in the senior game.
However, everything began to unravel when he left the comforts of the Stadium of Light, with his stay at Bordeaux marred by injury, and then trying to find his feet again on English soil with Stoke City and Fulham.
West Brom have managed to get the best out of the unfortunate 26-year-old again, with a good return of 12 goals in Championship action last season, but he is still prone to lengthy spells in the treatment room.
| Brewster’s career numbers | |
|---|---|
| Stat | Brewster |
| Games played | 190 |
| Goals scored | 48 |
| Assists | 18 |
| Games missed through injury | 158 |
| Days missed | 1157 |
| Sourced by Transfermarkt | |
Brewster’s journey is strikingly similar to Maja’s, as the 25-year-old once had the world at his feet while leading the line for Liverpool in the U23s before discovering the men’s game to be a harsh beast.
Despite an injury-plagued several seasons in South Yorkshire, he has recently found his way back on the horse, with a promising seven-goal contribution last season, prompting his then-Blades manager Chris Wilder to hail him as “amazing” for his resilience.
If a trade is made, he might be Mason’s very own Maja-like project, with the London-born forward well outpacing his Nigerian counterpart in terms of second-tier strikes, as evidenced by his 18 strikes and counting compared to Maja’s 15.
With Brewster missing only seven games last season due to injury, the hope is that he can go on and regain his former Reds magic, which saw him score a blazing 13 U23 goals at Anfield, only this time he can secure promotion to the senior game.
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