Derby County tried to hand West Brom transfer blow - The Baggies have upgraded instead | OneFootball

Derby County signed Alex Mowatt from West Bromwich Albion in the summer, who in turn has upgraded by bringing in Rabby Nzingoula from Strasbourg

West Bromwich Albion, having flirted a little too closely with relegation last season, are looking to put things back to normal at the Hawthorns and fight in and amongst the top eight, as the Baggies underwent a huge summer of change.

Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay's appointments will go down as two of the worst in West Brom's modern history, with the Baggies very nearly paying the price with relegation to League One.

Last season was the first time the club had finished below 12th in the second tier for some 25 years, and with James Morrison stepping in to rescue the club, the Scot was rewarded with the top job permanently in the Black Country.

The former midfielder sought a summer of change to remove deadwood from the squad and embed fresh talent, which, at the moment, it can be confidently said that he has done successfully.

Alex Mowatt was one of numerous stars to leave West Bromwich Albion in the summer

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Arriving at West Brom over the summer were the likes of Jimmy-Jay Morgan from Chelsea, Toby Collyer from Manchester United, Kareem Tunde from Levante, Felix Horn Myhre from Brann, and Nolan Galves from Rodez.

These additions were only sanctioned due to the exits of Jed Wallace, Josh Maja, Daryl Dike, Karlan Grant, Krystian Bielik, and Alex Mowatt, with the latter joining Championship rivals Derby County for a fee believed to have been in the region of £600,000 to £700,000.

Mowatt, 31, had spent the previous five years contracted to the Baggies, and was entering the final year of his deal, as West Brom decided to recoup a fee whilst they could.

With just shy of 200 appearances for the club across all competitions, on the face of it, Mowatt was a big loss, but the Baggies had already ensured that his departure would quickly be forgotten.

West Bromwich Albion signed Rabby Nzingoula from Strasbourg to allow Alex Mowatt's departure

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Along with their array of summer arrivals was the addition of French midfielder Rabby Nzingoula, who joined West Brom for a fee of a mere £2 million from RC Strasbourg three days before the sanctioning of Mowatt's move to Derby.

Nzingoula, 20, had struggled to find consistent game time in the midfield of a highly competitive Strasbourg side playing in Ligue 1 and the Europa Conference League, and as a result, spent the second half of last season on loan in the German second tier with 1. FC Nürnberg.

Little was known of the French youth international upon his arrival, with Baggies fans initially unsure whether he was capable of filling the boots of Mowatt, but just a month or so later, those worries have completely dissipated.

Why West Bromwich Albion upgraded Alex Mowatt with Rabby Nzingoula

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Replacing Mowatt, a player with over 400 Championship appearances to his name, should have been a tricky task for West Brom, but with Nzingoula, they have made it look easy.

Coming through the ranks of Strasbourg, making 15 first-team appearances for the Eastern French outfit, with loan spells at Montpellier and 1. FC Nürnberg and a regular in the French Under-20 squad, Nzingoula already has quite a bit of experience under his belt despite his age.

Making his debut in a 2-1 win away at Norwich City on the opening day as a late substitute, Nzingoula has made seven Championship appearances already, and though only two of those have been starts, it's only a matter of time before he surpasses either Jayson Molumby or Ousmane Diakite in the middle of the park for good.

With Collyer waiting in the wings as well, West Brom have some of the best midfield options in the English second tier, though in time, Nzingoula could become the pick of the bunch, as Baggies supporters have likely already forgotten about Mowatt.

James Morrison must be thanking John Eustace and Derby County for taking Alex Mowatt

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Although it's still early days, the signs are pointing in the direction that Nzingoula could be a serious coup for West Brom, and had Mowatt not left, maybe a deal for the Frenchman wouldn't have been sanctioned.

Mowatt is still a more than capable midfielder at Championship level at 31, but given his age, it's unlikely he will ever progress beyond that, whereas the consensus with Nzingoula is that he could go on and have an incredible career.

Morrison must be thanking John Eustace for taking Mowatt off his hands when he did, as the Baggies reap the rewards of Nzingoula's addition.