West Brom forward Brandon Thomas-Asante pays homage to quality of lower leagues in England
It’s been plain sailing so far for Brandon Thomas-Asante during his time at The Hawthorns, with the forward becoming an instant fan favourite after grabbing a late goal against Burnley.
However, the 23-year-old is keen to pay homage to his footballing roots, after spending the majority of his career in the lower leagues of English football.
Thomas-Asante made the move from Salford City to West Brom on deadline day and is paving the way for lower league talents to make it big in the Championship and beyond.
Albion’s newest hero spoke about the quality he’s seen in the lower leagues of England and how there are many players waiting for their opportunity.
“There’s definitely more quality across the board,” he told the Express and star. “I want to say there are good players in League Two, waiting for their opportunity, so credit to them for that.
“There are so many, I can’t stress that enough, players in the lower leagues.”
Made in Salford
It was at Salford City where Thomas-Asante finally made his mark, alerting teams like West Brom in the higher tiers of English football of his goalscoring prowess.
Joining the Class of 92’s famously owned club in 2019, the forward quickly rose through the ranks, making his debut against Cheltenham Town in the same year.
Brandon was also part of the squad which won the club’s first-ever piece of silverware; the Papa John’s Trophy, he scored the third penalty in a 4-2 shootout win against Portsmouth.
It’s these types of games against tough, wiry opponents that likely prompted Steve Bruce to make a move for the 23-year-old.
Before making the switch to Albion, Thomas-Asante scored 13 goals in 43 appearances in the 2021/22 season, finishing the campaign as Salford’s leading marksman. [Transfermarkt].
It will be interesting to see how Bruce utilises the talents of the forward this season, but he could prove to be a lovely secret weapon for West Brom moving forward.
In other West Brom news, Ron Gourlay has now pivoted to a new market as he looks for multiple new out-of-window transfers for the Baggies