All of West Brom’s summer acquisitions for 2023 (Ranked)

All of West Brom’s summer acquisitions for 2023 (Ranked)

FLW ranks the Baggies’ three summer transfer window signings.

West Bromwich Albion brought in three new players during the summer transfer window: striker Josh Maja, winger Jeremy Sarmiento, and full-back Pipa.
Due to financial difficulties, the club was only able to bring in players on free transfers or on loan.
To balance the budget, several players, including former captain Dara O’Shea and goalkeeper David Button, left the club during the transfer season.

West Bromwich Albion were able to add three new players to Carlos Corberan’s team before the summer transfer window closed on September 1st.

Due to the Baggies’ precarious financial status following a £20 million loan from MSD Holdings, the club was only able to attract players on free transfers and loan deals, yet despite the odds, they impressed with their recruitment.

Columbian international Jeremy Sarmiento arrived on a season-long loan from Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, while former Huddersfield Town full-back Pipa returned with Corberan for the third time on loan from Bulgarian club Ludogorets.

The Black Country club’s lone permanent signing was ex-Sunderland striker Josh Maja, who arrived after his contract at Ligue 2 side Bordeaux expired.

To fund the incomings and balance the books, nine players from the senior setup left this summer, along with a slew of experienced heads.

Dara O’Shea’s departure to Burnley was the notable exodus of the window, with a reputed £7m deal securing the club’s short-term future.

After disappointing periods in the West Midlands, Kean Bryan and Tom Rogic left for greener pastures, while Jake Livermore left the Hawthorns to rejoin former Baggies boss Valerien Ismael at Watford.

Experienced goalkeeper David Button has joined EFL club Reading, joining Karlan Grant, who has made a season-long move to South Wales and Cardiff City.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Zac Ashworth, Ethan Ingram, and Jamie Andrews all left the Hawthorns during the transfer window to obtain EFL experience with Bristol City, Bolton Wanderers, Salford City, and Grimsby Town, respectively.

West Brom’s three new acquisitions from this summer are ranked by Football League World after a tumultuous finale to the summer transfer window.

In at number three is full-back Pipa, who arrives for his second stint in the Championship under Corberan after enjoying a two-and-a-half year stay in West Yorkshire until February 2023.

The 25-year-old was part of the Terriers squad who went on to reach the play-off final in the 2021/22 campaign, but they were edged out of promotion back to the Premier League by Nottingham Forest.

Despite missing the majority of that season with a groin injury, the former Spanish youth international worked his way back into the first-team picture for the crucial final run-in and was an integral part of the side as they finished strongly to secure a third-place finish.

Following Corberan’s resignation from his Huddersfield post in July 2022, Pipa followed the 40-year-old to Greek giants Olympiacos, but both made a swift exit when the Spanish coach was sacked after just 11 games in charge. After making just 19 appearances in Bulgaria for Ludogorets, Pipa has teamed up for the third time with Corberan as he looks to add quality and fresh competition to the Baggies backline. With Pipa comfortable playing at both right and left-back, the likes of Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend will need to continually impress to keep their places, with the pair going unchallenged in recent years due to a lack of depth in that area.

Furthermore, his attacking-minded nature can only be seen as a positive in the Corberan system, with his willingness to take up advanced positions and create chances for the forward line a big asset to have in the side. When combined with his knowledge of the Championship and experience of being in a promotion-contending team, Pipa could be considered a real coup of a signing.

In second place is winger Jeremy Sarmiento, who joins West Brom on loan from Brighton for the first time.

The 21-year-old has shown flashes of talent in cameo appearances for the Seagulls, with a memorable contribution coming against Bournemouth in April 2023, when he assisted Kaoru Mitoma’s winning goal.

The Columbian suffered a metatarsal fracture near the end of last season, and Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi sanctioned the loan move for Sarmiento to regain his fitness after a lengthy layoff, saying: “For us, after the last injury last season, I think he needs to play 30, 35 games in a row.”

Seeking regular playing time, the bright prospect has moved to the Hawthorns for the season, hoping to dazzle the Albion crowd and get them up and dancing.

Sarmiento is another addition who will provide enormous versatility to the club, with the forward able to play on both flanks and through the middle as a 10, which will serve the Baggies well throughout the Championship’s long voyage.

The Madrid-born forward will attempt to overcome defenders with outstanding technique and utilise the space afforded to amass plenty of goals and assists on a consistent basis to drive the Black Country team into promotion contention.

Sarmiento, who has 14 Premier League matches to his name, will be seeking to display his talent on a larger scale in the second division and add consistency to his game with streaks of consecutive starts.

Top of the list is Nigerian international Josh Maja, who arrives at the Hawthorns after a successful season in goal for Ligue 2 club Bordeaux, where he netted 16 times in 38 games.

The London-born striker attracted attention during his time at Sunderland in League One, when he scored 15 goals in 24 games, as well as a brief stay in the Premier League with Fulham.

The major source of concern for Albion supporters will be Maja’s last Championship stint with Stoke City in January 2022, when he scored just one goal in 15 games in a dismal campaign.

Despite West Brom’s late-season recovery under Corberan to go into play-off contention, the lack of a strong goal scorer significantly harmed their prospects of finishing in the top six, with Brandon Thomas-Asante their leading scorer with just seven league goals.

Maja is seen as a goal-scoring threat, but he is also eager to contribute in the build-up and be in the perfect location to finish off dangerous movements.

After rediscovering his scoring touch, the 24-year-old will look to embrace the pressure and provide the missing link in Albion’s attacking arsenal.