Why Crystal Palace will love what’s happening at West Brom right now | OneFootball

The Eagles will be loving what Danny Imray is doing at West Brom, but the Baggies have to ensure they keep him following his Albion heroics.

West Brom can finally celebrate securing their survival in the Championship.

A goalless draw against promotion-chasing Ipswich Town was enough to get the Black Country outfit over the line, while Albion may be walking away slightly disappointed that they didn’t take maximum points at The Hawthorns.

Albion knew a point would confirm their stay in the second tier after the EFL deducted Albion two points for breaching P&S rules, with this outcome galvanising James Morrison’s men, who showed so much heart and desire to go toe-to-toe with one of the league’s best teams.

Jubilation rang out at The Hawthorns when the full-time whistle had gone, with Morrison doing a simply outstanding job to guide what looked to be a rudderless group of players to a 10-game unbeaten run, while keeping seven clean sheets from their last eight outings.

The Baggies now go into their final match of the season at Sheffield Wednesday knowing that they’re safe, and it will be a party-like atmosphere in the away end, who will be hopeful there are better times to come following this relegation scrap.

One player who has thrived under Morrison’s guidance is right-back Danny Imray, who originally linked up on loan under Eric Ramsay from Crystal Palace during the January transfer window.

And under Ramsay’s disastrous tenure, Imray looked out of his depth at this level, as the Baggies failed to secure a single league victory from his eight Championship matches in charge.

But with Morrison at the helm, Imray has been a standout performer during their 10-game unbeaten run, showing so much quality in the final third with his marauding runs, while balancing that out with dogged defensive work to help the Baggies backline go on such an excellent run of keeping clean sheets.

One of the first names on the teamsheet, Imray’s displays have seen many calls from Baggies supporters to sign him on a permanent basis, but that could prove to be tricky given he still has a year remaining on his current deal at Selhurst Park.

Regardless, though, Crystal Palace will love this situation, as it gives them many options of how to use Imray during his final year at the club.

But the Baggies must convince the Eagles to part ways and allow him to move to The Hawthorns ahead of next season, with Imray potentially able to contribute to a promotion push, should Morrison remain in charge and continue to get the best out of the current crop of players.

Danny Imray’s heroics at West Brom

While Danny Imray has been magnificent for the majority of his loan spell, it hadn’t all been plain sailing, with it taking a bit of time before he could eventually stamp his authority at right-back.

Under Eric Ramsay, Imray looked a lost cause, being hooked at half-time in both of his starts against Portsmouth and Birmingham City, while earning just 21 minutes of football in two other appearances before the Welshman departed The Hawthorns.

Imray remained on the bench for Morrison’s opening game in interim charge, but following a 2-1 defeat by Oxford United, a system change to 4-4-2 allowed Imray to get back in the starting fold, and the 22-year-old firmly took his chance.

Since then, the former Blackpool loanee has started and played 90 minutes for the last 10 league games, with this setup allowing the defender continually bomb forward, supporting the wide players and giving the team an extra layer in attack, helping to contribute to their influx of goals under Morrison’s guidance.

Imray formed a special partnership with Jed Wallace in particular. With Wallace playing as a conventional winger, keeping tight out wide and constantly getting towards the byline, it opened up spaces inside for Imray to exploit and do damage, and this was first seen against Hull City, as the defender broke into the box and teed up Isaac Price to slam the final goal of their 3-0 victory over the Tigers.

Inevitably, when Imray got into those pressurised situations, he had the calmness to find an accurate pass or the right cross, and it was badly needed, as for the majority of the season, the team had failed to show the composure in the final third to score enough goals and avoid a relegation scrap.

Imray’s sheer quality would come to roost against Watford in their penultimate home game of the season too, with the defender again setting up Price to convert for their opener, while putting the seal on a magnificent performance by grabbing his first goal in the blue and white stripes, yet again earning a Man of the Match award.

As the games have gone on, Imray has continued to go from strength-to-strength, being equally impressive in his defensive duties along with his attacking exploits.

As per FotMob, Imray has made 75 defensive contributions in 15 games for the Baggies, including 47 recoveries, 18 interceptions, 24 tackles and winning 62 duals, playing a major role in Albion’s achievement of keeping seven clean sheets in their last eight games.

Of course, going forward, the stats are so impressive too, with Imray creating 10 chances from those 15 appearances, having 25 touches in the opposition boxes and taking on seven shots, with such advanced play a joy to watch for the Baggies faithful and turning the defender into a firm fan favourite.

Crystal Palace will be loving Danny Imray situation, but West Brom have to secure permanent deal

After Danny Imray’s heroics in a West Brom shirt, Crystal Palace will be thrilled with the situation, as they know they have multiple avenues of how to handle his final year at the club.

Given his meteoric rise from non-league into the Championship and ability to handle the rough and tumble so quickly, there could be a case that he is ready for a shot in the Premier League, so the Eagles could promote him into the first-team, albeit the defender will be behind established wing-back Daniel Munoz in the pecking order.

Another option is to loan him out again for him to prove his worth over a full Championship campaign, and interest would undoubtedly be rife given how excellent he has been in his short stay with the Baggies.

The final call will be to cash in on the right-sided operator. Given his exploits in the second tier, Palace will make a sizeable profit on a sale, while this may be the final opportunity they get to make some money, given he would likely depart on a free transfer the following summer.

The latter decision seems the most likely route Palace will go down, and if that is the case, then Albion must get a deal wrapped up quickly and ensure that he is on their books to continue the success story he’s had at The Hawthorns so far.

If James Morrison does land the job full-time, you imagine he would stick with the 4-4-2 system that has served him and the players so well, and with Imray being so pivotal to the success from both his attacking and defensive displays, he has to be one of the first signings the Baggies nail down to reignite promotion ambitions.

His marauding runs down the right flank, paired with his quality in the final third when receiving the ball means he can be such a creative force for Albion next season, and that will be desperately needed for the team to score enough goals and work towards getting back to the top end of the Championship table.

Imray is a player who has flourished in the blue and white stripes, and while it may be an expensive addition, it’s one that will definitely be worth it, with the majority, if not all, of the West Brom faithful being absolutely delighted if he was to resign on the dotted line ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

It’s a signing that could well be defining for how Albion’s campaign plays out, with Imray demonstrating himself as one of the best right-backs in the Championship and a top-flight player in waiting.