West Brom exit could be looming for €1m man after surprise transfer | OneFootball

After signing Rabby Nzingoula, the Baggies could well be waving goodbye to Jayson Molumby before the summer transfer window is out.

West Bromwich Albion will be hopeful of a much more positive season unfolding under James Morrison.

The Baggies went on a remarkable turnaround of form under the Albion icon to preserve their Championship status last season, securing a 21st place finish despite wretched runs of form under predecessors Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay, as well as being deducted two points for controversially breaching the EFL’s P&S rules.

But now with all that behind them, Albion’s focus will be on getting themselves back into the promotion mix and targeting a return to the Premier League, with ownership group Bilkul able to spend a bit more freely now that the worst of their financial restrictions has passed over.

While all connected with West Brom will want to see what the Baggies bring into the club, there has to be an onus on letting players go as well in order to balance the books.

And that’s what might well happen in the midfield department, with the latest signing of French midfielder Rabby Nzingoula potentially proving the end of Jayson Molumby’s five-year spell in the blue and white stripes.

West Brom’s summer transfer business so far

The Black Country outfit have already been busy so far this summer by bringing in seven new players, with 20-year-old French midfielder Rabby Nzingoula the latest arrival from Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg, a player who was exclusively revealed to be of interest to the Baggies here at FLW.

Other signings have included defenders Nolan Galves, Carter Pinnington and Conor Townsend, midfielder Felix Horn Myhre, and forwards Barney Stewart and Jimmy-Jay Morgan, with all more than playing their parts over pre-season and in their romping Carabao Cup first round victory over Rotherham United last week.

West Brom's midfield options after Rabby Nzingoula signing

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Bolstering their midfield department with Rabby Nzingoula, the next priority for West Brom could well be to offload one of their midfielders, with the Baggies currently having as many as five options on their books.

In addition to the Frenchman, Albion now have Jayson Molumby, Alex Mowatt, Ousmane Diakite and fellow summer arrival Felix Horn Myhre to choose from, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a departure happen before the 1st September deadline.

Rabby Nzingoula deal could spell the end for Jayson Molumby at West Brom

The likeliest of the first-team figures to leave could well be Jayson Molumby, who had already been linked with a move away from The Hawthorns this season prior to Nzingoula’s arrival.

The Republic of Ireland international has been touted with a move to Championship rivals Wrexham, as per journalist Alan Nixon, and the Welsh outfit could still be interested in a move despite securing the signing of Preston North End midfielder Ben Whiteman.

Meanwhile, from what’s been seen in pre-season and the Carabao Cup, it appears boss James Morrison plans to utilise a 4-2-2-2 system heading into the new campaign.

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Against Rotherham, Ousmane Diakite, Alex Mowatt and Felix Horn Myhre all played more minutes in the middle of the park than Molumby, while Isaac Price starting out wide and the rise of academy graduate Harry Whitwell means Molumby’s minutes could well be hindered.

Therefore, it could point towards the Irishman’s time at The Hawthorns being up, while the midfielder, who joined for a reported fee of €1m from Brighton back in the summer of 2022, may be open to a new challenge in the second tier.

Offloading Jayson Molumby is the right decision for West Brom to make

With Jayson Molumby’s future at West Brom up in the air, some divide in opinion has been caused among the fanbase about whether this is the right decision.

There’s certainly lots to like about Molumby, who offers relentless running, aggression with his tackling and pressing as well as giving everything for the badge.

But throughout his Albion career, Molumby has lacked much of an end product in the final third, with 11 goals and nine assists from 181 appearances a disappointing total for such a marauding box-to-box midfield player.

As listed on West Brom’s club website, someone like Nzingoula has the potential to be a creative force in the middle of the park for the Baggies, as well reading the danger and being an additional defensive asset to protect the backline.

Focusing on his time on loan at second tier German side Nürnberg, the Frenchman won a tackle every seven minutes of football he played on average, as well as averaging 1.83 chances created per 90 minutes, putting him in the top 7% in the division for that metric.

With Nzingoula just 20-years-old and already possessing a pedigree of playing in the French top-flight, there’s certainly so much more to like about the new recruit compared to Molumby, who at 27 doesn’t appear to be a player who can quite transform into a Premier League level midfielder.

This seems to be the beginning of a new era for the Baggies, with the club needing to bring in youthful talents who increase the quality levels in the team and get the club having enough ammunition to compete for a place back in the big time.

While some will be disappointed by a potential Molumby exit, it seems it is in the best interests of everybody, with Morrison, at this moment in time, set to struggle to keep five central midfielders at the club happy with ample enough game time.