West Brom can land Chelsea transfer gold after QPR blow | OneFootball

After missing out on Harvey Vale, West Brom could strike gold with the signing of Jimmy-Jay Morgan

West Brom are close to securing their first signing of the summer in the form of exciting Chelsea youngster Jimmy-Jay Morgan.

A striker will have been right at the top of the shopping list at the Hawthorns this summer, following a campaign where the underlying numbers suggested that the Baggies had one of the best defences in the division.

With the likes of Nat Phillips, Chris Mepham and George Campbell on the books, it's clear that the improvements have to be made at the top end of the pitch, and it seems that West Brom are doing their reshuffling early on in the window.

Per their retained list, Daryl Dike has already been confirmed to be leaving at the expiry of his contract this summer, and the futures of Josh Maja and Karlan Grant are still unknown. Regardless of the status of the latter two, though, new faces are needed.

Morgan has yet to make a senior appearance at Stamford Bridge, but shone on loan at Peterborough United last season in League One, netting 12 and assisting a further three, mainly as an attacking midfielder behind the striker.

The 20-year-old looks set to be a promising signing for just £1.3 million, and if he can replicate a debut season akin to another former Chelsea youngster who West Brom were linked with, then the Baggies could be in for a steal.

West Brom missed out on Harvey Vale, who settled in at QPR perfectly last season

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Indeed, Morgan isn't the only Chelsea academy man who has been linked with West Brom over the last 18 months. Back in January 2025, the Baggies, then managed by Tony Mowbray, were interested in bringing Harvey Vale to the Hawthorns before his move to QPR.

The 22-year-old arrived at Loftus Road with an injury, so he wasn't able to make his debut until this season, but he's shown glimpses, especially towards the end of the campaign, of being a top creative asset in the second tier.

Further injury problems limited Vale to just eight league starts in the infancy of the season, but when he returned in January, he quickly became one of the first names on the team sheet, starting the final 18 games of the Championship campaign.

He'd end the campaign with four goals and five assists in 31 league outings and a couple of senior caps for the Republic of Ireland, too.

There's plenty of excitement to see how Vale kicks on into his second season at the club, as QPR look to finally escape mid-table purgatory and put together a run at getting into the play-offs under Julien Stephan, and West Brom will have to stand and watch his development from afar.

That is, if they aren't preoccupied with watching how Vale's former teammate in the Chelsea Under-21s squad is performing under their roof.

West Brom will hope that Jimmy-Jay Morgan can establish himself similarly to Harvey Vale in the Championship next season

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At just 20 years old, there's clear potential with Morgan to improve and surpass the £1.3 million price tag that West Brom are set to part ways with to bring him to the club.

If new head coach James Morrison continues with his 4-4-2 playstyle, the Chelsea youngster could be perfect as that second striker, playing just behind Heggebo or whoever else is leading the line that day, feeding off second balls and making late runs to score.

Morgan also scored in patterns at London Road last season, too. He netted in his first three games, scored in back-to-back wins in February and scored in five straight outings later that month and into March.

If he can find that confidence in a West Brom shirt, the Baggies could have themselves a 10-goal striker, which, as a young secondary frontman, would be a brilliant return in his debut campaign.

Ultimately, no West Brom fan will be allowing themselves to get carried away just yet by the potential of this prospective signing. If he can have a steady first year in the Championship, as Vale did at QPR, and show glimpses of being a top frontman for years to come, they could have a bargain on their hands.