Carlos Corberan could be convinced to stay at West Bromwich Albion if this transfer is sealed.
West Bromwich Albion will enter the next Championship season slightly apprehensive at this moment in time, with lots of work needing to be done to fix the uncertain mood at the Hawthorns currently.
Carlos Corberan is being linked with a switch to a number of different clubs, with some reports even stating that he’s been interviewed for the Burnley vacancy recently, whilst the likes of Kyle Bartley, Cedric Kipre and Alex Mowatt could soon be out of contract if their deals aren’t renewed by the close of this month.
Yet, if the Baggies can ride this storm out and secure the future of Corberan alongside some key first-team personnel, they could well be in the promotion reckoning again, on the contrary, when a ball is kicked to start the 2024/25 campaign.
The Spaniard could even be convinced to stay put just off the back of one statement signing.
West Brom going after £6m-rated ace
According to report by Football Insider last week, West Brom are going back in for former loan star Mikey Johnston this summer, with a £6m price tag now slapped above his head by Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic.
West Brom could do with more reinforcements going forward, owing to the club’s recent retained list revealing that Matt Phillips would be allowed to walk away on a free transfer, and that could come in the form of Johnston, but it remains to be seen whether that hefty fee puts the West Midlands outfit off.
With Baggies chairman Shilen Patel also revealing that the club will have to be “resourceful” this summer when penning an open letter to the West Brom fanbase, a move for Johnston could well be deemed too extortionate to get over the line.
Yet, it could now be deemed as a necessary capture to potentially keep Corberan on-side and not have his head turned.
Why Johnston could get Corberan to stay
Johnston was exactly the electric signing the Baggies needed last season to raise the excitement levels at the Hawthorns, with the current Celtic man taking to Championship football like a duck to water after walking in through the door on loan in January.
The 25-year-old winger – who was described as being “special” by Corberan in 2023/24 – would help himself to an impressive eight-goal contributions from just 18 matches, with seven of those being goals for his loan side, matching Grady Diangana’s total for the season, albeit from 18 games fewer than the ex-West Ham United attacker.
Endearing himself immediately to the Hawthorns faithful, with tricky gung-ho ascents forward becoming his speciality, Johnston would end up filling the void left behind by Jeremy Sarmiento jumping ship to Ipswich Town expertly, with the powers that be at West Brom now intrigued to see what the Republic of Ireland international can do over a full 46-game campaign.
With a lack of left wingers at Corberan’s disposal, as Adam Reach has also been let go of who can play down the left-hand flank, signing Johnston feels like an ambitious deal that could have legs, even if the wild £6m price tag is off-putting.
The Baggies chairman will aim to try and strike a balance between spending big and remaining cautious in the transfer market, with Johnston deemed a splurge that could be worthwhile.
