West Brom could seriously regret transfer decision involving Barnsley | OneFootball

The Baggies must be thinking they made a mistake by selling Reyes Cleary to Barnsley given their own forward woes and his immediate success at Oakwell

West Brom boss Ryan Mason continues to face mounting pressure in The Hawthorns dugout as Albion sit mid-table in the Championship.

Despite earning some respite prior to the international break with a victory over Oxford United, the Baggies returned to the second-tier with a defeat at table-topping Coventry City – all through their own making.

Albion had started so brightly and raced into a two-goal lead through Aune Heggebo’s brace, as the Norwegian international made it three strikes in two outings following his late winner over the U’s.

But a sloppy goal from Albion's point of view through Josh Eccles gave Coventry a lifeline at the break, and then the tone was set for the rest of the match early into the second half when Jayson Molumby was sent off for two yellow cards.

From then, the Baggies surrendered their advantage, with goals from Ellis Simms and Victor Torp turning the tide and handing the Sky Blues all three points.

The result in that West Midlands derby means the Baggies have now won just three games out of their last 12, and head into another derby against Birmingham City on Wednesday evening struggling for momentum.

A common theme for West Brom this season has been a lack of potency in the final third too. Mason’s outfit currently sit 19th in the division for goals scored – registering just 16 strikes this season.

While Heggebo has provided some optimism that he can score goals on a regular basis at this level, Albion’s striking department still looks weak, with Josh Maja a shadow of the player that netted 12 times last term, while Daryl Dike cannot be trusted to remain fit and is even failing to get off the substitutes bench on some occasions.

Meanwhile, on the flanks, Albion have felt the effect of losing star man Tom Fellows to Southampton, with Samuel Iling-Junior failing to pull up any trees since joining on loan from Aston Villa, while Jed Wallace’s niggling calf injury leaves Mikey Johnston and Karlan Grant as the only two other recognised wide options.

Their misery at the top end of the pitch has been compounded by the impact Reyes Cleary had made at Barnsley since departing The Hawthorns for Oakwell. The 21-year-old left Albion at the end of last season after a loan move at non-league side Hartlepool United.

It is a surprise to see Cleary doing so well given his struggles in the fourth tier in the first half of last season at Walsall, but the system at Barnsley is evidently playing to his strengths, and you do get the feeling the Baggies would have been stronger this term if they’d shown further faith in Cleary and kept him on the books.

Since linking up with Barnsley this summer, Reyes Cleary is proving the quality he possesses at the top end of the pitch, and is making a statement in League One with his current hot streak.

At the beginning of his time at Oakwell, Cleary began featuring off the substitutes bench, but since he has been handed starts for the Tykes, that’s when the attacking contributions have begun to flow.

The 21-year-old was handed his first start for his new club on matchday 11 against Wycombe Wanderers, playing 72 minutes and grabbing his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw.

Predominantly playing off the left flank, Cleary has made a further four starts, netting again in a 2-2 draw against Bradford City, contributing an assist against Doncaster Rovers and producing a stunning performance last weekend in a 5-0 thumping of Luton Town, where he grabbed a goal and two assists in a Man of the Match display.

This has taken Cleary’s tally up to three goals and three assists from his opening 10 League One outings, with those contributions sure to keep coming with the form he is currently in.

This has helped Barnsley to be on the periphery of the play-off places, and with the mess Albion currently find themselves in at the start of this season, his presence could have been much-needed to lift themselves out of their current slump.

It’s hardly surprising to see why West Brom lack creativity in the forward areas, with too many poor performers and a lack of depth hurting the team.

This is a particular problem in the wide areas as alluded to earlier, particularly now Mikey Johnston is being utilised as a right-winger from his first-half display at Coventry, leaving Karlan Grant as the only option on the left side.

With Cleary’s best football coming from the left side, he’s been able to use his sharp pace, direct running and quality decision-making in the final third to great effect in League One, and he is having a massive impact on this Barnsley side at the moment.

If the Albion hierarchy had shown a bit more patience and seen the potential in his game, then they would have been the beneficiaries of his talents, and it’s at a time when he’d have been needed given the lack of the options they currently possess.

There’s still a question of whether Cleary would have been able to bridge the gap between League One and the Championship, but given the form he is showing at just 21, he appears a second-tier player in waiting.

The Baggies will definitely be feeling some regret over sanctioning Cleary’s exit, with that decision proving to be a crucial choice as to why Albion are where they are under Ryan Mason.