West Bromwich Albion supporters could have been left stunned by the information on Monday that Lewis Dobbin is ready to signal for Southampton for an preliminary charge of £9m.
The English ahead spent the primary half of the 2024/25 marketing campaign on mortgage at The Hawthorns and failed to supply a single aim or help in 17 appearances within the Championship.
Regardless of initially becoming a member of on a season-long mortgage, he returned to Aston Villa within the January switch window earlier than becoming a member of Norwich Metropolis on mortgage, then spent final time period on mortgage at Preston North Finish.
The 23-year-old attacker scored ten objectives and offered eight assists at Deepdale within the Championship within the 2025/26 marketing campaign, which has seemingly earned him a £9m switch to St. Mary’s.
Why Lewis Dobbin struggled at West Brom
Dobbin didn’t present the constant high quality at West Brom that he did at Preston as a result of he was not put ready to succeed by the Baggies.
The Englishman solely began one in every of his 17 appearances within the second tier for the membership, averaging solely 19 minutes per recreation, which meant that he didn’t get many alternatives to point out what he was actually able to.
|
24/25 Championship |
Dobbin (West Brom) |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
17 |
|
Begins |
1 |
|
Targets |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Pictures |
4 |
|
Key passes |
2 |
|
Profitable dribbles |
8 |
Contemplating that Dobbin instantly went to Norwich and scored two objectives in eight begins for the Canaries within the second half of the marketing campaign, plainly West Brom had been the issue, fairly than the participant.
If the Baggies had given him the possibility to nail down a daily run of video games in his favoured place, they might have seen the type of high quality that he displayed frequently with Preston, scoring ten objectives from 9.15 xG.
Final season, none of West Brom’s pure extensive gamers scored greater than two objectives within the Championship, as Mikey Johnston and Jed Wallace each netted twice.
That could be why the membership are within the race, together with the likes of West Ham United, Leicester Metropolis, and Derby County, to signal Brighton & Hove Albion winger Tommy Watson.
West Brom have already got their very own Lewis Dobbin
James Morrison could possibly neglect a few swoop for the Seagulls teen, although, as he already has his personal model of Dobbin brewing at The Hawthorns.
As an alternative of growing Brighton’s expertise for them within the 2026/27 marketing campaign, West Brom might look to Ollie Bostock to have a breakthrough season at senior degree.
The Wales U21 worldwide has proven promise at youth degree and in his restricted first-team minutes, and will emerge because the membership’s personal Dobbin, righting the wrongs of not giving the £9m-rated star sufficient of a possibility.
Bostock wants minutes and expertise to develop and fulfill his potential, as Dobbin did with Norwich and Preston, and Morrison ought to present him with the platform that he wants subsequent season.
|
2026 U19 Euros |
Ollie Bostock |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
3 |
|
Targets |
0 |
|
Possibilities created |
4 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Profitable dribbles |
3 |
|
Duels received |
21 |
|
Duel success price |
53% |
The teenage expertise performed on the U19 Euros for Wales lately and created 4 possibilities in three video games for his teammates, as they had been knocked out within the group stage.
Bostock additionally confirmed promise within the first-team for the Baggies final time period, scoring one aim and offering one help in 9 appearances, regardless of solely beginning 4 of these video games.
Like Dobbin, the 19-year-old star is predominantly a left-sided attacker who likes to chop in on his proper foot, however he’s additionally able to taking part in as an attacking midfielder or on the appropriate of the ahead line, providing Morrison versatility throughout the assault.
Which means that he might be utilised on the left or proper in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 for the Baggies, or within the quantity ten place in a 4-2-3-1 system, as could be the case for Dobbin as soon as his transfer to Southampton goes via.
Bostock, after all, is unproven at first-team degree, given his lack of expertise, however he did rating eight objectives in 51 matches for West Brom at U18 and U21 degree mixed, which exhibits that the potential is there for him to supply a aim risk.
The truth that he has already registered a aim and an help for the first-team in restricted minutes is one other signal that he has the potential to step up and ship high quality within the closing third from a large place.
So, as a substitute of signing Watson on mortgage from Brighton, Morrison ought to give Bostock the minutes that had been as soon as not provided to Dobbin, in an try to create his personal homegrown model of the £9m ahead.
