Exclusive: Don Goodman reveals “worry” over West Brom, Torbjorn Heggem transfer news | OneFootball

Don Goodman believes West Brom will be damaging their promotion hopes if they sell Torbjorn Heggem to Bologna.

Don Goodman has revealed he would be concerned about West Brom's promotion hopes if they sell influential defender Torbjorn Heggem to Bologna.

The Norwegian international only joined the Baggies from Brommapojkarna last summer, but he enjoyed a superb first season in English football, which saw him named Player of the Year at The Hawthorns.

Heggem was a consistent figure for Albion despite their inconsistent season, and his form appears to have attracted interest, with reports stating that Bologna are in talks over a potential £10m transfer for the 26-year-old.

Don Goodman feels Torbjorn Heggem exit would be a big setback for West Brom

If Heggem did depart for £10m, it would represent a substantial profit for Albion, as they paid £500,000 to bring him to the club.

So, many fans can understand the sense behind a sale, as it will help on the PSR side of things, and it should give boss Ryan Mason more freedom to bring in his own players.

Yet, speaking exclusively to FLW, Sky Sports pundit Goodman acknowledged that the financial side will be a factor, but he questioned whether the club will be able to progress if they lose such a key figure in the XI.

“I’m not absolutely certain where West Brom sit currently in the realms of PSR/FFP, but it would be a bad look, for me, if they were to sell any of their best players, because this is a club that you would think would be desperate to be at the top end of the Championship.

“There’s no doubt about it, the recruitment in recent years has been sketchy, but one of the big successes has been Heggem. He was outstanding for them last season, whether he played at left-back or at centre-back, and I thought Nat Phillips had been brought in to play alongside him.

“It would be a little bit of worry if Heggem was allowed to leave West Brom.”

Torbjorn Heggem has been a quality player for West Brom

You can understand both sides of this, and those that point out Albion want to replicate the likes of Brentford and Brighton are right to highlight the importance of player trading - which means selling at the right time.

So, getting £10m for a player you bought for just £500,000 just 12 months ago is outstanding business, and it’s the sort of deal that can help you kick-on as a club.

Yet, as Goodman says, Albion’s priority has to be winning promotion, and there’s no denying that losing Heggem will negatively impact them on that front.

As he says, the recruitment has been questionable over the years, so there’s no guarantee the funds will be spent wisely, and whilst George Campbell has come to the club, he is unproven at this level.

It’s clearly a risky approach, and ultimately time will tell whether it’s the right call, but the priority for West Brom has to be winning promotion.