West Brom beat Rangers to AFC Bournemouth signing - It could affect 22-year-old at the Hawthorns | OneFootball

West Brom are set to sign Chris Mepham from AFC Bournemouth on a permanent deal.

West Brom are set to complete the signing of Chris Mepham from Bournemouth, with the defender set to undergo a medical before finalising the transfer.

It has been a busy summer for the Baggies under new boss Ryan Mason, and he has already made major changes to the defence, with Semi Ajayi and Torbjorn Heggem departing, whilst Kyle Bartley retired.

Albion have brought in Nat Phillips, George Campbell and Krystian Bielik, but further reinforcements are required, and it appears that they have seen off competition to land Mepham.

West Brom poised to sign Chris Mepham after Bournemouth deal agreed

The Welsh international is way down the pecking order at Bournemouth, with the Cherries happy to loan the centre-back to Sunderland in the previous campaign.

With Mepham entering the final year of his contract, a permanent exit was always likely this summer, and it had been claimed that Rangers were pushing to sign the 27-year-old.

However, he will be staying in England, as journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that West Brom have agreed a deal with Bournemouth for the defender.

As well as that, Mepham has agreed personal terms with Albion, so the next step is for him to undergo a medical before the transfer is signed off.

Ryan Mason has transformed West Brom’s defence since his appointment

As outlined above, Mason has wasted little time in making big changes to the defensive unit, and it does look as though they have made some shrewd signings following their positive start to the season.

With Phillips, Campbell, Bielik and Mepham, Albion have four good defenders, and three of those players are proven in the Championship, so it gives them a very good base to build on moving forward.

Plus, Mepham arrives having won promotion last season, so that winning mentality and know-how will help as the Baggies try to reach the Premier League.

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - AFC Bournemouth v West Bromwich Albion - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - January 11, 2025 West Bromwich Albion's Caleb Taylor scores their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra

This is likely to have a knock-on effect, as it’s hard to see where Caleb Taylor fits in at The Hawthorns now, and the 22-year-old will surely want to move on to play regularly after his successful loan spell at Wycombe Wanderers in the previous campaign.

Clearly, Mason will be happy with that, as he has worked with the player all summer, and he has decided to bring in several new additions in central defence, so selling Taylor could make sense for all parties if a deal can be agreed ahead of the deadline on Monday.