Birmingham City feature: 3 Championship clubs who should rival West Brom for David Brooks, AFC Bournemouth deal | OneFootball

We looked at three Championship clubs who should join West Brom in the race to sign Bournemouth winger David Brooks.

West Bromwich Albion are reportedly keen to sign Bournemouth winger David Brooks on loan this summer.

After helping Southampton to promotion to the Premier League during his loan spell at St Mary's in the second half of the 2023-24 campaign, Brooks was brought back into the fold by Bournemouth following his return to the club, but his minutes were limited in the top flight last season.

According to the Express & Star, the Cherries are weighing up the possibility of allowing Brooks to depart on a temporary basis again this summer in order for him to receive more regular game time, and West Brom are one of the Championship clubs keen on the 27-year-old.

The Baggies have recently appointed Ryan Mason as their new head coach, and with Everton said to be preparing a £10 million move for winger Tom Fellows, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur assistant may view Brooks as the perfect replacement if he was to depart.

However, Albion will likely have to fight off strong competition if they are to land Brooks' signature, and we looked at three other second tier clubs who should have the 35-cap Welsh international on their radar.

Birmingham City

After winning the League One title with an EFL-record total of 111 points, Birmingham City are preparing for life back in the Championship.

Blues owner Tom Wagner has made it clear that he is targeting back-to-back promotions next season, and the club are expected to be one of the biggest spenders outside the Premier League this summer, but with stricter financial regulations in the second tier, they may also need to make effective use of the loan market in addition to splashing the cash on permanent deals.

Birmingham's squad looks well-equipped to compete in the Championship, but with question marks over whether the likes of Keshi Anderson and Emil Hansson can make the step up to a higher level and Scott Wright facing a lengthy injury lay-off, they are arguably lacking depth and quality in the wide areas, which could make Brooks a potentially ideal signing.

The Blues are already believed to be rivalling West Brom for the loan signing of Spurs winger Mikey Moore, but they should also go head-to-head with their Midlands neighbours for Brooks, and he may be tempted to join the exciting project at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for a season.

Middlesbrough

After a disappointing 10th-placed finish in the Championship last season, Middlesbrough parted company with head coach Michael Carrick earlier this month, and they are thought to be close to appointing former Luton Town manager Rob Edwards as his replacement.

Edwards will inherit a strong squad at the Riverside Stadium, but one of his big tasks this summer will be to find a replacement for Liverpool loanee Ben Doak, with the club unlikely to be able to bring the Scottish international back for a second spell next season.

It is possible that Edwards could deploy either Marcus Forss or Morgan Whittaker on the right next term, but the former has been incredibly injury-prone in recent years and the latter has failed to impress since his January move from Plymouth Argyle, and Brooks would certainly be an upgrade on the pair.

Having often been too predictable and one-dimensional in their attacking play last season, a winger of Brooks' quality is exactly what Boro need next season, and they may be able to offer him more guaranteed game time than many of his other suitors.

Norwich City were another team who underachieved significantly in the Championship last season as they finished 13th, and there has also been a managerial change at Carrow Road this summer with Liam Manning making the move from Bristol City to replace Johannes Hoff Thorup.

The Canaries have already been incredibly active in the transfer market this summer, bringing in goalkeepers Daniel Grimshaw and Louie Moulden, defender Harry Darling and midfielder Jacob Wright, but Manning is facing the threat of losing two of his key players in Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent.

Norwich recently rejected a £12.7 million bid from Porto for Sainz, while Napoli, Athletic Bilbao and Nottingham Forest are believed to be among the other clubs keen on the Spaniard, and with his exit looking inevitable, the Norfolk outfit will need to bring in at least one new winger this summer, which could lead them to Brooks.

Brooks does usually play on the opposite flank to Sainz, so he would not necessarily be a like-for-like replacement, and if Manning decides to stick with the back three system he deployed at Ashton Gate, that could be another stumbling block, but the Bournemouth man could certainly help to replace some of the quality that would be lost in the wide areas if the Canaries' top scorer departs.