Millwall and Southampton will share transfer relief after West Brom blow | OneFootball

Millwall and Southampton must be relieved after missing out on Nolan Galves to West Brom after a recent injury blow update

West Bromwich Albion enjoyed an excellent summer window, with the fruits of their labour paying dividends already, as James Morrison aims to guide the Baggies to a top eight finish this campaign.

It was a big summer for West Brom, who, having barely survived relegation from the Championship last season, took the gamble of appointing Morrison on a permanent basis and allowed the Scot to rebuild the squad in what is his first gig as a head coach in his career.

The likes of Daryl Dike, Josh Maja, Jed Wallace, Karlan Grant, Krystian Bielik, and Alex Mowatt each headed out of the Hawthorns doors, as each of Jimmy-Jay Morgan, Barney Stewart, Kareem Tunde, Felis Horn Myhre, Toby Collyer, and Rabby Nzingoula arrived as replacements.

Among their incomings was also French right-back Nolan Galves, as the Baggies fended off heavy interest from numerous Championship rivals to complete his capture.

Nolan Galves joined West Bromwich Albion in the summer despite interest from numerous other Championship sides

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Galves, 23, came through the ranks with Sochaux, the same club which helped to produce the likes of Maxence Lacroix, Marcus Thuram, and Ibrahima Konaté, before making the switch to Ligue 2 side Rodez in 2024.

With Rodez, Galves shone at right-back, grabbing five goal contributions in 31 league appearances during his first year at the club, and then seven assists in 32 Ligue 2 appearances in his second campaign.

Naturally, his impressive performances caught the eye of numerous clubs across Europe, including some in the English Championship.

Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, and Southampton were interested in Nolan Galves before completing West Bromwich Albion switch

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Galves' performance and low price tag attracted the interest of various second-tier clubs in England, as Millwall were the first club to reportedly launch a bid for the full-back, having already signed Tairyk Arconte and Derek Mazou-Sacko from the French outfit in recent windows.

However, the Lions could not complete a deal, as Queens Park Rangers also reportedly monitored the situation before opting to sign Tariq Lamptey on a free transfer instead.

Finally, as West Brom closed in on a deal for Galves, division rivals Southampton had also reportedly seen a bid accepted for the full-back, but with James Bree as competition at St Mary's, the 23-year-old opted to make the move to the Hawthorns instead.

Nolan Galves is set to miss the rest of the season in major West Bromwich Albion injury blow

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Upon his arrival in the Black Country, Galves was immediately thrust into the action, playing the full 90 minutes in each of the Baggies' opening six games in all competitions, winning four, drawing one, and losing one.

He would start the game away to Derby County on the bench, but would come on in the 37th minute after Brayann Peireira received a second yellow card on debut; his game wouldn't last much longer.

Galves would go down with an injury after a strong challenge from Mohammed Fuseini after just 15 minutes, and it has now been revealed that the full-back is set to miss the duration of the 2026/27 campaign after undergoing surgery on his knee.

It's a huge blow for West Brom, who will have to make do without the Frenchman for the rest of the year so soon after beating Championship rivals to his capture.

Whilst the Baggies will be frustrated with this turn of events, there will be a few clubs relieved to have dodged this bullet so soon.

Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, and Southampton must be relieved after missing out on Nolan Galves amid recent news

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Millwall, QPR, and Southampton each tried to tempt Galves to the Championship before West Brom completed a deal for the Frenchman, and after learning of his season-ending injury, each of them must be pleased to have done so.

Of course, had he joined one of the other three clubs, there is no guarantee he would've picked up this same injury; regardless, each of Millwall, QPR, and Southampton will be pleased that they haven't received the fate West Brom have.