08-08-2025, 05:40 PM
Head coach: Ryan Mason
Last season: Ninth
Key ins: Nat Phillips (Liverpool, undisclosed), Aune Heggebo (SK Brann, £4.75m), George Campbell (CF Montreal, undisclosed)
Key outs: John Swift (Portsmouth, free), Grady Diangana (Released), Semi Ajayi (Hull, free)
Expectations? A club the size of West Bromwich Albion should always be aiming for promotion, but the Championship is more competitive than ever before, and the club is still navigating financial restrictions.
The aim will be the play-offs, but transfer activity over the next month will be a key factor. At a recent fans forum we hosted, most Baggies fans were leaning more towards a top-half finish as their expectation.
Pre-season performances have highlighted teething problems with Ryan Mason's intended style of play, but he's driven and ambitious, so I'm sure he will still be aiming high in his debut season as a head coach.
Strengths? This is tricky to answer because there are question marks over key players. Josh Maja was last season's top scorer, but he last played competitively in January due to injury and is only just returning to action.
Player-of-the-season Torbjorn Heggem is subject to transfer speculation, and it's also not known if star youngster Tom Fellows will still be an Albion player come the end of the window.
Weaknesses? If Maja isn't up to speed soon, there's uncertainty about where the goals will come from. Daryl Dike's wretched luck with injuries has continued, as he's been ruled out with a thigh problem until early September, while new Norwegian striker Heggebo is untested in the Championship.
If Heggem does go then that leaves big boots to fill in the centre of defence. Some Albion fans are also unsure about their goalkeepers.
Errors cost Joe Wildsmith his place in goal in the last campaign, so the shirt is academy product Josh Griffiths' to lose. After successful loans in the lower levels of the EFL, this will be his first consistent opportunity in the second tier.
Difference-maker? Isaac Price. He is the poster boy of the Northern Ireland national team and the 21-year-old midfielder is nailed on to be a Premier League player in the not-too-distant future.
The former Everton academy player has impressed in several positions, and after seeing him up close in training during Albion's pre-season training camp in Austria, I can tell you that he is the real deal.
Aaron and Jobi's prediction: 11th
Last season: Ninth
Key ins: Nat Phillips (Liverpool, undisclosed), Aune Heggebo (SK Brann, £4.75m), George Campbell (CF Montreal, undisclosed)
Key outs: John Swift (Portsmouth, free), Grady Diangana (Released), Semi Ajayi (Hull, free)
Expectations? A club the size of West Bromwich Albion should always be aiming for promotion, but the Championship is more competitive than ever before, and the club is still navigating financial restrictions.
The aim will be the play-offs, but transfer activity over the next month will be a key factor. At a recent fans forum we hosted, most Baggies fans were leaning more towards a top-half finish as their expectation.
Pre-season performances have highlighted teething problems with Ryan Mason's intended style of play, but he's driven and ambitious, so I'm sure he will still be aiming high in his debut season as a head coach.
Strengths? This is tricky to answer because there are question marks over key players. Josh Maja was last season's top scorer, but he last played competitively in January due to injury and is only just returning to action.
Player-of-the-season Torbjorn Heggem is subject to transfer speculation, and it's also not known if star youngster Tom Fellows will still be an Albion player come the end of the window.
Weaknesses? If Maja isn't up to speed soon, there's uncertainty about where the goals will come from. Daryl Dike's wretched luck with injuries has continued, as he's been ruled out with a thigh problem until early September, while new Norwegian striker Heggebo is untested in the Championship.
If Heggem does go then that leaves big boots to fill in the centre of defence. Some Albion fans are also unsure about their goalkeepers.
Errors cost Joe Wildsmith his place in goal in the last campaign, so the shirt is academy product Josh Griffiths' to lose. After successful loans in the lower levels of the EFL, this will be his first consistent opportunity in the second tier.
Difference-maker? Isaac Price. He is the poster boy of the Northern Ireland national team and the 21-year-old midfielder is nailed on to be a Premier League player in the not-too-distant future.
The former Everton academy player has impressed in several positions, and after seeing him up close in training during Albion's pre-season training camp in Austria, I can tell you that he is the real deal.
Aaron and Jobi's prediction: 11th
