West Brom need £7m transfer to work as Barnsley FC inspiration is needed | OneFootball

The American striker has struggled with injuries at The Hawthorns, but has proven his quality in the past.

West Bromwich Albion are involved in an incredibly tight battle for the play-offs, with nearly half of the Championship in with a shout of finishing in the final two places in the top six.

The Baggies let slip an excellent start to the campaign with a run of 10 draws in 11 games under Carlos Corberan, who left the club in December for Spanish outfit Valencia.

Tony Mowbray now finds himself in the dugout at The Hawthorns, and supporters will be hoping that his experience will be enough to help take the team back to the Premier League after a four-year absence.

To do so, however, they will need goals and West Brom will be hoping that one player, who is slowly being reintroduced to the fold after two devastating injuries, can recreate the same form that he showed for Barnsley in the second half of the 2020/21 campaign.

Daryl Dike was crucial to Barnsley's surprise play-off finish in 2021

While Daryl Dike is now a well-known operator in the Championship, on his arrival to Barnsley from Orlando City in February 2021, he came in under the radar and supporters were intrigued to see the impact that he could have.

He made his way to South Yorkshire while the Tykes were 12th in the league, after Valerien Ismael had turned round a poor start to get his side into mid-table by the time the winter transfer window opened.

The USA international international made his debut against Brentford as Barnsley ran out 2-0 winners away to the table toppers.

It was a victory that inspired a run of nine wins in 10 games in the Championship, taking Dike's new team from 12th all the way into the play-offs.

During this time, the forward scored his first five goals for the club, with his maiden strike coming at Oakwell in another 2-0 victory, this time against Stoke City. The Tykes had taken the second tier by storm, and their efficient style of play allowed their on-loan striker to have plenty of chances to find the back of the net.

An excellent brace against Luton Town at the start of April showed to the rest of the division that Barnsley had more than enough talent to end the season in the top six, and their momentum carried them through for the final weeks of the season.

Dike ended his time in red-and-white with nine goals in just 19 appearances, as Ismael's side set up a play-off date with Swansea City.

Unfortunately for the South Yorkshire side, they were unable to overcome the Swans in the semi-finals, as the then-20-year-old Dike returned to Orlando.

West Brom need to see Barnsley-esque levels from Daryl Dike soon to repay £7m fee

The Baggies signed the 10-cap American in January 2022 for £7m, and after writing off his first half-season at The Hawthorns due to injury, he started his first full campaign in 2022-23 very well, akin to his time at Barnsley.

But after scoring seven times in 23 Championship games for West Brom at the start of his first full season with the club, he suffered two terrible Achilles injuries.

The first of these came just before the end of the 2022/23 campaign, and it saw him miss nine months of action, returning at the start of 2024. However, just five games into his comeback, another Achilles injury saw his year end before it had even started.

He made his return against Millwall, a year and three days after it was revealed that he had suffered the second blow, and supporters will be hoping that he can stay fit and can put this terrible situation behind him.

However, with that £7m price tag still looming over his head, Dike will be wanting to prove to everyone at West Brom that he is still capable of leading the line and scoring important goals.