West Brom set sights on promotion winner as ex-Birmingham City loanee closes in on move

West Brom reached the play-offs in the Championship in this past season. However, they were beaten at the semi-finals stage over two legs by eventual winners Southampton. 

Carlos Corberan’s side will be aiming to have another push for the top six next term. In the meantime, here is a look at some of the latest news and rumours regarding them and their league rivals…

West Brom want defender

According to a report by SportBladet, West Brom are interested in FC St. Pauli defender Eric Smith along with fellow second tier side Leeds United. The former Sweden youth international is being linked with a switch to England this summer.

Smith, who is 27-years-old, has been with his current club since 2021 and helped them win promotion to the Bundesliga in the past campaign. He is teammates with former Football League pair Jackson Irvine and Dapo Afolayan.

Burnley eye winger

The Baggies have been linked with Queen’s Park winger Aiden McGinlay along with Stoke City by  TEAMtalk recently. In this latest update regarding the player’s future, the Daily Record claim relegated Burnley are keen on snapping him up.

McGinlay, who is 17-years-old, is being tipped for a bright future in the game. He has been previously been on the books at Partick Thistle.

Former Baggies man released

Former West Brom midfielder Romaine Sawyers has been released by Cardiff City, as confirmed on their retained list. The Bluebirds have decided to cut ties with the 32-year-old and he will become available as a free agent.

Sawyers, who is a Saint Kitts and Nevis international with 43 caps under his belt, started out at The Hawthorns before returning the Midlands outfit in 2019 after stints at Walsall and Brentford.

Cardiff have also confirmed that Karlan Grant has gone back to the Baggies following his loan in Wales. He scored six goals in 40 matches this past term and still has two years left on his contract with Carlos Coberan’s side.

Sheffield Wednesday close in on former Birmingham City man

Elsewhere in the Championship, Sheffield Wednesday are closing in on the signing of former Birmingham City loan man Yan Valery. As per French news outlet L’Equipe, as covered by The Star, the player has agreed a switch to South Yorkshire from Angers.

He has helped his current side gain promotion from Ligue 2 recently. The full-back played for Southampton from 2015 to 2022 and was loaned to the Blues in 2020.

Luton Town and Millwall target defender

Millwall are pushing to sign Japhet Tanganga on a permanent basis following his loan spell from Tottenham Hotspur but face competition from Luton Town, according to reporter Lyall Thomas from Sky Sports on X. Some unnamed Serie A teams are also believed to be in the frame.

Tanganga linked up with the Lions this past winter and became a key player for the London outfit. He helped them stay up under Neil Harris but it remains to be seen whether he will be returning to The Den or heading somewhere new.