West Brom must snub Celtic transfer advances | OneFootball

The Baggies will hope George Campbell can continue growing into an integral figure under James Morrison

West Bromwich Albion's 2025/26 Championship season may have brought about the club's lowest league finish for over 25 years, but performances towards the close of the campaign certainly gave room for optimism regarding the future.

Indeed, the 2026/27 campaign will be Albion's sixth successive term as a second tier outfit following relegation from the Premier League, and aside from a run to the 2023/24 play-offs, where they were defeated by Southampton at the semi-final stage, a top-flight return has rarely seemed likely.

As well as a tumultuous period on the pitch, the Baggies have had to suffer from a financial standpoint too, despite Shilen Patel's reported £60m takeover in February 2024 from Guochuan Lai.

Last summer, the club sold both Torbjorn Heggem and Tom Fellows for eight-figure fees in order to attempt balancing their financial books, one year after they were forced to operate under a business plan by the EFL to comply with the governing body's previous PSR regulations.

Whilst Championship safety was eventually secured under James Morrison, who has now been made permanent head coach at The Hawthorns after a run of just two defeats in 12 games, the club were hit with a two-point deduction for breaching said rules.

As such, there will now be a great sense of intrigue when it comes to the summer activity in B71, with Squad Cost Rules now coming into play, meaning clubs can spend up to 85% of their income generated, which comes through several means.

But, if Morrison is hopeful of building further momentum, he must do everything in his power to retain the services of George Campbell, who is reportedly a wanted man at present.

George Campbell grew into his role within West Brom's defence after mixed start

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It has been well-documented that Albion's campaign was one of intensely mixed fortunes under three different head coaches, with Morrison seemingly able to crack the code after Ryan Mason's six-month tenure and the ultimately, disastrous short-lived reign under Eric Ramsay.

Campbell was one of the incomings acquired during Mason's only transfer window in charge of the West Midlands outfit, joining from MLS outfit, CF Montreal for approximately £1.5m.

The 24-year-old, of course, was not the only arrival to help bulk up the Baggies rearguard this summer, with Nat Phillips, Chris Mepham and Krystian Bielik all following suit. However, whilst also adapting to a completely new division and how his style would compliment that of his colleagues, Campbell became the subject of criticism at various points earlier in the season.

As well as finding himself in and out of the side, the one-cap USMNT international was also stationed at right-back for a fair portion of the season, despite naturally being best-fitted to featuring at the heart of defence.

Ultimately, such a decision was eventually rectified by Morrison during his second period in charge, as for 11 of his 12 games from February 28th onwards, Campbell featured as a centre-back, which allowed Danny Imray to cause havoc as a marauding full-back also.

Ironically, three of his four goals would then come in the space of a month, including a fine long-range distance strike against Sheffield United on March 7th to kickstart an impressive unbeaten streak.

James Morrison will hope West Brom snub Celtic interest in George Campbell

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The aforementioned Morrison clearly made a big impression on the American during his interim spell, with Campbell stating after the 1-0 win at Bristol City on March 21st, in which he scored the only goal: "He says the right things to get us going and I think we have had a lot of fight. I think once we got that result away from home, we feel like we can play against anyone and compete against anyone in the league.

Campbell also stated: "I came here as a centre back and wanted to play as a centre back. If called upon I can play right back when I need to do a job."

Therefore, the 40-year-old boss will be hoping his defender, and the club, can repay such faith by snubbing reported interest from Scottish Premiership giants, Celtic.

It had been claimed amid those links that Campbell was also open to a move north of the border, even though the Hoops are well-stacked in defence under Martin O'Neill, who has recently agreed a one-year extension of his own at Parkhead.

The Scottish side will also be able to offer the attraction of UEFA Champions League football, which is a top seller for many players, especially in comparison to Albion's current position, which, despite the optimism in the Black Country, is still largely unknown heading into the new campaign.

However, Campbell did pen a four-year contract with the Baggies, and there is every chance he can continue growing into an influential figure if his recent form continues into 2026/27.