Exclusive: Don Goodman urges West Brom patience with £4.75m signing - Ryan Mason has praised his impact | OneFootball

Aune Heggebo is yet to open his account for West Bromwich Albion

Sky Sports pundit and former West Bromwich Albion striker Don Goodman believes that supporters should not be concerned by the signing of Aune Heggebø, who is yet to open his goalscoring account for the club.

The Baggies oversaw a summer of major change at The Hawthorns following a frustratingly chaotic campaign last time out under a plethora of permanent and interim managers and head coaches, with Shilen Patel eventually appointing Ryan Mason as Tony Mowbray's permanent successor in early June.

In what is the former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder's first full-time role as a manager after previously working as an assistant in North London, Albion conducted a mass squad reshuffle during his maiden pre-season and summer transfer window, with plenty of experienced campaigners and underwhelming performers making way for new faces as the club looks to mount a sustained promotion bid.

Mason has plenty of creative and attacking threats at his disposal who provide their own unique attributes and varying levels of experience to the West Brom squad, with one of those being the summer acquisition of Aune Heggebø, who made his switch to the West Midlands for a sizeable seven-figure fee from Norwegian outfit, Brann.

It has been an impressive start to the campaign for the B71 club all things considered, with Mason only suffering two defeats in his opening six matches across all competitions - ironically both at the hands of Derby County.

And, although Heggebo is yet to get off the goalscoring mark in blue and white stripes, the aforementioned Goodman has urged Albion supporters to look at his all-round game, despite the fact Josh Maja has recently returned to fitness.

Don Goodman urges West Bromwich Albion supporters to have patience with £4.75m signing Aune Heggebo

Heggebo is currently enjoying his first taste of football outside of Norway, having moved to the Baggies for £4.75m after netting 18 goals in the 2024 and 2025 seasons for his former employers.

The 24-year-old has started every game for Albion since his summer switch, and has been seen pressing from the front on numerous occasions, although he is yet to score from an xG of just 1.57.

However, Goodman believes that the former Under-21 international will come good for his former club once he eventually nets his first goal.

"I think in terms of not getting off the mark yet, Heggebø will be slightly disappointed," Goodman exclusively told Football League World.

"He's had one or two chances, although I don't think West Bromwich Albion, as a team, are creating bundles and bundles of chances. So, he's going to suffer in that regard," Goodman explained.

"But I read an interview with Ryan Mason, saying he's about much more than scoring goals, because he does occupy defenders, he holds the ball up well, he's won every single tackle, he never stops running, he puts himself about, and he's been a handful for Championship defenders to play against so far this season.

"You hope that his team can create a few more really good opportunites for score. And, hopefully, once he gets the first one, then the goals will flow," ex-Wolves striker Goodman added.

"So, there's nothing to worry about as of yet, but obviously, all the while Josh Maja will be lurking in the background."

Aune Heggebø has done everything but score for West Brom - his time is surely coming

As Goodman alluded to, Heggebø's style of play means he offers so much more than a goal threat, and scoring is the only thing he is yet to do for Albion so far.

There are clearly no worries regarding the striker's initial adaptation to the rigours of the Championship, due to his well-rounded nature that has seen him vacate space for the likes of Isaac Price to get on the end of chances, with the Northern Irish international the club's top scorer so far.

However, it will be a slight frustration that Heggebo's side rank 15th in terms of big chances created in the opening five games - a metric that needs to be improved regardless of who is the main focal point, with Maja yet to start this season whilst Tammer Banny and Daryl Dike are set to return to action in the not-too-distant future.