West Brom should use Danny Imray leverage to beat Preston to Crystal Palace deal | OneFootball

Romain Esse could be a smart addition to the Baggies' creative department

After a largely turbulent 2025/26 campaign, West Bromwich Albion will be hoping to build on what was a positive ending under James Morrison, who was rewarded with a permanent contract.

The 40-year-old has been gearing up to his first full season in charge of the Black Country outfit, and plenty of changes have already been made in terms of the outlook of his squad after a strong end to the Championship season.

As the first month of the new season looms, as many as five players have been added to the squad, with the most recent of those being French right-back, Nolan Galves, from Rodez AF, who was previously targeted by divisional rivals, Millwall and Queens Park Rangers.

It remains to be seen what further additions will be made, and whilst Albion are set to miss out to Wrexham on a permanent move for Danny Imray, his stint at the club could still come in handy.

West Brom should look to pip Preston North End to Crystal Palace, Romain Esse agreement

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With Wallace now departed, it means Albion are extremely thin on the ground when it comes to options out wide, which is far from ideal as the new campaign is less than two weeks away through the EFL Cup first round.

However, such an issue could be remedied by the loan acquisition of Romain Esse from Crystal Palace, with Alan Nixon reporting that the UEFA Conference League winners are to green-light another temporary exit for the 21-year-old, who was signed from Millwall for £12m.

That said, it has been stated that whilst there is strong interest from other clubs in the England Under-21 international, West Brom's divisional rivals, Preston North End, are eyeing a loan swoop for Esse as they look to continue showcasing their own ambition.

Esse, of course, knows the Championship well at this point, with seven goals and one assist in 66 games enough for Palace to part with the aforementioned fee after breaking through at The Den, although his recent loan spell at Coventry City didn't exactly go to plan.

Esse was unable to oust the likes of Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Ephron Mason-Clark from Frank Lampard's starting lineup, but under Morrison in a 4-4-2 system, would likely be an influential figure, especially as things stand given a concerning lack of depth.

The prospect of him linking up well with Galves, who posted seven assists in Ligue 2 last season for Rodez, is also a mouth-watering prospect as the Baggies look to add further service to the likes of Aune Heggebo, Jimmy-Jay Morgan and Barney Stewart in a bid to push for the play-offs.

Danny Imray development could aid West Brom's chances of striking Romain Esse deal

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Even though Palace are now under the management of Pierre Sage instead of Oliver Glasner, that should not take anything away from the fact that West Brom were able to play a huge part in Imray's short-term development, which is set to bank the Eagles £5m.

In just 16 appearances, the 23-year-old was a key outlet for Morrison on the right flank, and with Esse at an even younger age, there could be plenty of encouragement from either club's perspective to strike yet another loan agreement.

However, it would be vitally important for West Brom, as well as other clubs, to secure a deal as soon as possible, allowing Esse ample time to gel with his new teammates and develop strong patterns of attacking play, having failed to have the desired impact at the CBS Arena from January onwards, despite scoring twice in his 18-game loan stint.

Mikey Johnston and Romain Esse double-act could help West Brom tick this season

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As well as the prospect of a strong double-act on the right flank with Galves, Esse's potential addition means that, if both are on form, he and Mikey Johnston could be instrumental for Morrison in the next year or so.

The Irishman has been a firm favourite in these parts since initially joining on loan from Celtic in January 2024, and even in a difficult season last time out, was still able to record nine assists and two goals in 34 appearances.

Only Gustavo Hamer, Sorba Thomas and Leo Scienza recorded more assists last term, meaning that if the 27-year-old can stay injury-free, Albion's previous attacking woes, which saw them score just 48 times in 2025/26, could be addressed significantly.