West Brom may have unearthed something special after £4m transfer | OneFootball

It may only be pre-season, but Jimmy-Jay Morgan is giving West Brom a lot to look forward to once the campaign starts

There's been a real changing of the guard up front this summer at West Brom, as James Morrison looked to freshen up his forward options after a stale year in front of goal last season.

Per the underlying numbers, the Baggies were amongst the best defensive sides in the Championship last year. They allowed the fewest shots, the fewest shots on target and conceded the third-fewest expected goals, too, per Opta.

However, West Brom were still embroiled in a relegation battle and needed a 10-game unbeaten run under interim boss Morrison to avoid the drop. That was mainly due to a poor year in front of goal.

The 48 goals that the Baggies scored were the fifth-fewest in the division, and their lowest tally since returning to the Championship in 2021. That was even with the likes of Josh Maja, Karlan Grant and Daryl Dike in the squad.

All three of those were released at the end of their contracts, as West Brom looked to the future. They brought in Barney Stewart from Falkirk for £1.3 million and signed Chelsea youngster Jimmy-Jay Morgan for £4 million, joining last year's arrival Aune Heggebo to form a new-look striker core at the Hawthorns this season.

However, there's always a sense of caution when bringing in young stars, as there are expectations to hit, especially in a side that will be expecting to put last year's near-disaster behind them and return to being play-off hopefuls.

Jimmy-Jay Morgan excels in West Brom's latest pre-season friendly

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It may only be one game of pre-season against League Two outfit Shrewsbury Town, but Morgan is showing promising signs of fitting into this West Brom side perfectly ahead of the new campaign.

The 20-year-old set-up Harry Whitwell on the edge of the area to give the Baggies the lead, before pouncing on a slip from a Shrewsbury defender to race away and delicately chip over the goalkeeper and then doubled his tally by diverting an on-target header past the keeper.

Then, in the second half, he combined well with Heggebo to assist the Norwegian with a pinpoint cross for the fourth in the 4-1 victory.

Morgan is coming off the back of a breakout year in League One during his loan spell with Peterborough United, netting 12 times in 34 third-tier appearances.

While there's still a question to be asked surrounding his ability to step up to Championship level, the fact that he didn't look out of place in a strong squad filled with second-tier veterans and multi-million-pound signings is a real positive.

Plus, the four goal involvements he picked up are a good way to build hype over his Championship debut in a few weeks. You can't get carried away by a performance against a fourth-tier side, but it's better to feel excitement, rather than worry, which would have been the case if he was anonymous despite the win.

West Brom can rightly be excited over Jimmy-Jay Morgan's potential

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Morgan's two finishes, a beautiful chip over an on-rushing keeper, and a point-blank reaction to divert a ball away from the goalkeeper, aren't two situations that won't be presented to him again in league action this season.

The fact showed his tenacity in front of goal ahead of the Championship campaign can only build excitement over what the 20-year-old can do at the Hawthorns next season.

Baggies boss James Morrison shared in that excitement, praising his performance against Shrewsbury and highlighting the "huge potential" he feels he has.

"I've been really pleased with him. He's an exciting young player and knows where the back of the net is," Morrison told the BBC. "I'm not worried about him with the ball, but I've got to keep on top of him, reminding him of his job without the ball.

"He's young so performances will probably be up and down, but he's got huge potential, and we can see that in his performances in pre-season."

From a Baggies perspective, they'll be hoping to see more of those ups across the next nine months, as James Morrison's side looks to finish inside the top eight with their new-look frontline leading the way.

If he has a good season, that £4 million will be looking like a real steal, and one that could land West Brom either earning a lot more money in the future, or perhaps having a frontman who can lead them back to the Premier League for the first time since the 2020/21 campaign.