West Brom eyeing EFL star with 119 Championship appearances

It’s nearly a month now until West Bromwich Albion gets their brand-new Championship campaign underway.

At this stage, Ryan Mason might well be a little nervous about his squad heading into the hustle and bustle of the second tier, with Nathaniel Phillips the only signing he’s managed to add to his camp since taking on the managerial reins.

Between now and Blackburn Rovers coming to the Hawthorns on the 9th of August, expect the Baggies to be very busy refining their squad, as an intriguing signing edges ever closer to relocating to the Hawthorns to join Phillips.

West Brom’s transfer latest

Indeed, after uncovering a gem from Scandinavia in the form of Torbjørn Heggem last summer, the Baggies are now closing in on the signing of another potential Nordic diamond in Aune Heggebø.

Netting a bumper 51 goals from 146 clashes for Brann, this is a pick-up that will pique the curiosity of West Brom supporters far and wide, with Heggebø capable of offering Josh Maja plenty of competition down the line in the attacking positions if he can show off his goalscoring prowess in England.

Midfield competition could also come, too, by landing the signature of Preston North End star Ali McCann, with journalist Alan Nixon revealing recently that West Brom are interested in securing the Lilywhites midfielder’s services.

There is a hurdle for the Baggies to overcome here – with McCann reportedly closer to penning a new deal at Deepdale over leaving the club – but he could well be West Brom’s next version of Chris Brunt if a move does suddenly accelerate into motion, with McCann a versatile, tough, yet goal-and-assist heavy option centrally much like the adored Brunt once was.

How McCann could be West Brom’s next Brunt

Of course, the most obvious similarity hasn’t been shared yet, with both the 25-year-old and the retired Baggies legend sharing the same national allegiance to Northern Ireland.

But, there is far more than just their geography that glues them together, with McCann able to boast an impressive 11 goals and eight assists from 242 career games, 119 of which have come about in the demanding division of the Championship.

His now 40-year-old counterpart is equally well-versed in what it takes to be a consistent performer at such a gruelling level, with the ex-Baggies number 11 going on to amass 214 career Championship games, a total which McCann will surely hit either for Preston or when moving on.

Brunt does have far heftier numbers in the goal and assists department when comparing side-by-side with the ex-St Johnstone midfielder, with a stunning 73 of his overall 132 goal contributions at Hawthorns coming in the second tier, but McCann will hope he can elevate his game further in his new surroundings as an option Mason can rely upon in several different positions in the middle of the park.

Whilst still in his prime in the West Midlands, Brunt would gain a notorious reputation for being an adaptable presence for his beloved Baggies, with the Belfast-born icon even lining up as a makeshift centre-forward on one occasion, away from slotting into the team in a hefty eight different positions.

As can be seen looking at the table above, the new Baggies target also possesses that same adjustable nature for his side’s cause, with McCann further unafraid to slot into an XI in the striker spot if needed, much like Brunt before him.

McCann was once hailed as “phenomenal” by his former St Johnstone boss Callum Davidson, with Mason more than welcoming this as his next buy after Heggebø, safe in the knowledge that McCann knows the EFL’s elite league inside and out.

On top of that, if all goes to plan, the 25-year-old might well be West Brom’s next dependable hero, much like Brunt, especially if a promotion is triumphantly won during his debut campaign.

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