West Brom ‘ill feeling’ claim made after Danny Imray, £5m Wrexham move | OneFootball

FLW’s West Brom fan pundit has commented on how he feels about the Baggies missing out on a move for defender Danny Imray.

West Brom will be hopeful of a much more positive 2026-27 campaign after securing their Championship safety under James Morrison last term.

And in an attempt to get back into the promotion mix, the Black Country outfit have made movements in the summer transfer window so far.

The Baggies kicked off their spending with the addition of forward Barney Stewart from Falkirk, then announcing the arrival of Liverpool defender Carter Pinnington, although the former Reds man will originally be placed into Albion’s U21’s setup for development.

Meanwhile, Albion’s third is of exciting Chelsea youngster Jimmy-Jay Morgan, with the Baggies spending an up-front fee of £1.3m to secure his services, while add-ons could take it to as high as £4m.

More recently, the Black Country outfit targeted bolstering their defensive line and started off by bringing back a familiar face to B71 in Conor Townsend, who joined on a free transfer following his release from Ipswich Town.

Albion were also firmly in the market to bring defender Danny Imray back to The Hawthorns following his excellent loan spell at the back end of last season.

But despite holding optimism that a deal would get over the line, Baggies supporters were then deflated to see that the former Crystal Palace defender had elected to sign for Championship rivals Wrexham for a reported fee of £5m.

Following such a shock blow, Albion have moved on quickly to fill the void at right-back and make their fifth signing of the window, bringing in promising French full-back Nolan Galves from Ligue 2 side Rodez, who has penned a four-year contract at The Hawthorns.

With this in mind, FLW’s West Brom fan pundit has issued his thoughts on the Baggies missing out on a move for Imray and whether Galves can be the man to fill the hole left by Imray's departure.

West Brom reaction offered over Danny Imray, Wrexham move

Speaking to Football League World, West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess believes the Baggies made the right decision from a financial perspective to not bring Danny Imray back to The Hawthorns on a permanent deal.

He believes £5m is too steep for Albion to pay for any player during this summer transfer window, while there are other departments in the squad that need more attention and money put into rather than the right-back area.

Callum told FLW: “I don’t hold any ill feeling towards Imray or the club for not being able to get him back.

“£5m would have been a significant portion of our transfer budget, you’d imagine, and you can’t really see Albion paying much more than that for any player this summer, so using it on a right-back wouldn’t have been the best choice.

“Nolan Galves has now come to Albion as his replacement, so at a fifth of the price, he can hopefully be as good as Imray was in his loan spell, but Wrexham have definitely got a good player in Imray.”

How West Brom fans have reacted to Danny Imray, Wrexham move and Nolan Galves arrival

Nolan Galves can make Danny Imray exit feel like a distant memory

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While West Brom fans are attempting to see the positive side to Danny Imray’s move to Wrexham, it’s still a massive punch in the stomach for Albion to take, with so many hopeful Imray would return to the Baggies and carry on the sensational form from where he ended last season.

There’ll be no other individual more disappointed than boss James Morrison too, who had made getting Imray back into his plans a big priority, but that has now vanished.

Nevertheless, it’s uplifting to see West Brom being so proactive in getting another right-back into the building, with Nolan Galves hopeful of filling the big boots that Imray has left behind.

While it probably wouldn’t have been West Brom’s first choice signing to make in that position, Galves is a player who has still generated plenty of excitement among the Albion fanbase after notching seven assists in the French second tier last season.

Meanwhile, according to OPTAJoe, no other player produced more successful crosses in Ligue 2 last season than Galves, with 59, so it will be intriguing to see whether he can deliver similar attacking output in the Championship.

Based off his previous stats, Galves is certainly a player who can add further potency in the final third and help create bundles of chances for the forward line, and if this can transition into the Championship, then the Baggies may be feeling that they got on the right end of the Imray and Galves swing.

Paying a fraction of the price for a right-back compared to Wrexham, Albion will now be keeping everything crossed that they’ve found their new Imray, with Galves’ forward-thinking approach from right-back certainly something to watch develop in the coming weeks and months.