West Brom: Alex Mowatt, Isaac Price and Danny Imray react to emotional Daryl Dike post | OneFootball

Dike's four-and-a-half year stint at The Hawthorns has come to an end

West Brom's squad is going to have somewhat of a new look in the 2026-27 season - especially when it comes to how they line up in attack.

With James Morrison taking charge of the Baggies on a permanent basis after a successful temporary stint at the back end of last season, work very quickly got underway to reshape his options in the final third, with both Chelsea youngster Jimmy-Jay Morgan and Falkirk striker Barney Stewart arriving for seven-figure fees.

They will accompany last summer's big buy in the form of Norwegian striker Aune Heggebo, but there has also been some exits from the Midlands outfit in that department too.

With contracts expiring on June 30, it appears that Karlan Grant and Josh Maja have both opted to seek opportunities elsewhere despite being offered new deals, but one player who definitely isn't returning to Albion is Daryl Dike.

West Brom players - current and past - react to Daryl Dike exit message

Signed in January 2022 by Valerien Ismael just a few weeks before he was sacked by the West Brom hierarchy, Dike arrived with much promise following his form for both Barnsley under the French coach and Orlando City in the MLS after his Oakwell loan stint was finished, and he also arrived with a lofty price-tag too at £7 million.

But just two appearances into his West Brom career, a hamstring injury curtailed Dike's first half-season at the club early, and fitness issues would overshadow his stint.

Thigh and achilles injuries would book-end his first full season in England in 2022/23, where he'd scored seven Championship goals in 23 appearances when fit, but that potential was wasted in 2023/24 when having missed the first half of the campaign due to the aforementioned achilles surgery, he made just four appearances before rupturing the OPPOSITE achilles, ruling the USA international out for another year.

Since recovering from that particular year-long setback though in February 2025, Dike has managed to keep himself relatively active - he missed the start of 2025/26 with a thigh problem, but was available from mid-October onwards for the rest of the season as he played 25 times in all competitions - he played his final game for the club though away at Sheffield Wednesday in May, with his exit soon confirmed in the club's retained list.

It's clear that Dike was a well-respected member of the Albion dressing room, and his emotional goodbye message on social media has been reacted to by several past and present team-mates.

Last season's loanee from Crystal Palace, Danny Imray, simply posted "DK❤️" in tribute to his ex-teammate, current Baggies midfielder Alex Mowatt has said: "All the best DARYL DIIIIIIKE 🩵", whilst another one of the club's current players, Isaac Price, has paid tribute to the 26-year-old, saying: "All the best brother❤️".

Daryl Dike was desperately unlucky at West Brom - could he stay in England?

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Everyone at West Brom was desperate for Dike to do well at the club, but even when he stayed fit for the final seven months of his stint, he didn't start many times - perhaps owing to fears over how his fitness would hold up.

Dike showed extreme potential when he was at Barnsley during the 2020/21 season, which of course led to his big-money move to The Hawthorns, and if he didn't suffer that very early hamstring injury, then his time at the club could have gone so much differently.

But whilst the book has been closed on his chapter with West Brom, that doesn't necessarily mean that his time in the EFL is over and done with.

A fully-fit Dike could still offer a Championship club something going into 2026/27 - he is a unique striker who is both quick and strong for his size, even if the achilles injuries have probably taken some of his pace away from him.

Perhaps Dike will favour a move back to the MLS given he's been away from the United States for so long, but it will be interesting to see where the powerhouse striker's next move is.