West Brom urged to seek alternative to Preston North End transfer deal | OneFootball

FLW's West Brom fan pundit discussed his side being linked with a move for Preston's Will Keane

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Brom have been told to look at younger striker options with potential resale value instead of targeting a move for Preston North End striker Will Keane.

It was recently reported by Pete O'Rourke on X that the Baggies were interested in a move for the 31-year-old Preston striker, while the Lancashire Evening Post reported that the Lilywhites had rejected a West Brom offer.

Keane, who joined Preston from Wigan in the summer of 2023, enjoyed a decent first season at Deepdale, scoring 13 league goals and becoming their top scorer, and he could be a useful short-term option for Carlos Corberan's side.

The Republic of Ireland international might not be the flashiest of players, but he's guaranteed to chip in with goals each season, and it's easy to see why West Brom want to sign him.

West Brom told to opt for a younger striker

Our West Brom fan pundit, Callum Burgess, believes that while Keane would almost certainly do a job for the Baggies, he'd rather see a younger striker come in, who could potentially be sold for a lot of money in the future.

Speaking to Football League World, Callum said: "I think the consensus of West Brom fans seeing we’re linked with Will Keane is that we’re not exactly going to be getting out of our seats excited.

“He’s just a steady Championship striker really. In the last couple of seasons, he’s played in an average Preston North End team and in a relegated Wigan Athletic team, and in both seasons he’s got a goal tally which would have seen him become our top goalscorer.

"I think he may not be a name that fans get excited about, and I would have preferred us to look at younger strikers who would have resale value in the future. I think he might not be a bad back-up for Josh Maja, who’s coming off the back of a season with two injuries and can’t be expected to play every minute of every game.

“ I think as a back-up, we could definitely do worse, but I’d rather look in the mould of a younger player with resale value, especially if we’re to pay a fee for him, which you’d expect if we were to sign him.”

Will Keane could still be a very useful signing for West Brom

While he's not the most glamorous of signings, Keane is tried and tested at this level, and he would certainly score goals for the Baggies.

13 goals for a Preston side that finished 10th and suffered a dismal end to the season is a very decent return, and playing in a better side at West Brom there's no reason why he couldn't match that tally or score even more.

It's natural to want a long-term succession plan, and a young striker could well go on to make the club money in the future, but as teams like Sunderland showed last season, this doesn't always guarantee goals, and it's important to have a reliable source of goals if the Baggies are to compete towards the top of the Championship table.