West Brom favourites to sign Barnsley midfielder Alex Mowatt
West Brom are leading the race to sign Barnsley captain Alex Mowatt on a free transfer, according to The Athletic’s Steve Madeley.
The West Midlands club, recently relegated to the Championship, are said to be favourites to sign the 26-year-old from new manager Valerien Ismael’s old club.
Albion are lining up the Englishman as Ismael’s first signing, as Madeley detailed on his personal Twitter profile.
Mowatt is currently contracted to Barnsley but his contract with the Tykes expires at the end of June, meaning he will be available on a free transfer.
Madeley’s report on The Athletic website claims Ismael wants a “quick reunion” with a player already familiar with his “high-pressing, fast and direct approach”.
Barnsley have offered Mowatt a new contract while other Championships sides are said to be queuing up for his signature, but the presence of Ismael and Albion’s status as one of the favourites for promotion has put them ahead in the race.
Priority position
It’s no secret that central midfield is an area we desperately need to strengthen in.
Conor Gallagher, Okay Yokuslu and Ainsley Maitland-Niles left the club at the end of last season following the conclusion of their loan deals, leaving just Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers as senior options.
Mowatt would be an ideal solution to our problem on two counts – he is a midfielder who is already aligned with Ismael’s methodologies, and he is also available on a free.
Money has always been tight with Guochuan Lai at the helm, so we’re not confident that money will suddenly be splashed this summer, despite the parachute payments Premier League relegation brings.
As such, we will likely have to limit the permanent signings we can make, with loans likely to be key again.
With at least a couple of new midfielders required, it would be wise to target a free agent for one of them, and Mowatt looks ideal.
He scored eight goals and supplied seven assists in 46 Championship appearances last season as he led the Yorkshire club to an unlikely play-off position.
That’s exactly what we need – a dynamic, goalscoring midfielder, and Mowatt could provide just that if he moves to The Hawthorns.
In other West Brom news, Ismael has been handed a tough test as opening Championship fixtures are announced.
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