West Brom must keep Dara O’Shea at all costs this summer as transfer worry emerges
West Brom will listen to offers for two of their key players this summer, but one decision, in particular, could damage their chances of Premier League promotion.
According to the Sunday People [11 June], the Baggies are willing to listen to offers on Dara O’Shea and Grady Diangana this summer as they look to “balance the books” at The Hawthorns.
The Baggies signed Diangana from West Ham on a permanent basis in 2020 following a productive loan spell, while O’Shea a product of the club’s youth academy emerged as a vital performer and favourite of Carlos Corberan last season.
“West Brom will listen to offers for Grady Diangana and Dara O’Shea as they look to balance the books this summer,” wrote the Sunday People (11 June, page 61).
“Former West Ham striker Diangana, 25, played a major role the last time the club were promoted to the Premier League in 2020 but failed to kick on, despite a £20million fee.
“O’Shea is a product of the club’s academy and was handed a lengthy deal after he became one of the few to emerge with credit during the Baggies’ relegation under Sam Allardyce in 2021.”
The Baggies are preparing for a crucial full season with Corberan in charge following some worrying behind-the-scenes development at the club following the departure of CEO Ron Gourlay which will have thrown the Spaniard’s position at the club into real doubt.
However, in a new behind-the-scenes shift, the new head of football operations Ian Pearce is planning for life with the Spaniard in charge and is looking to back him with signings in the transfer window.
The outgoings at West Brom may prove even more crucial but the departure of O’Shea may prove a real blunder by the club board and could lead to backlash from fans.
The 24-year-old fan favourite has proven a pivotal component for Carlos Corberan and the Baggies this season, playing 35 Championship games this season, before suffering a long-term injury at the back end of the season which affected the Baggies promotion push.
Regular and consistent displays have taken O’Shea beyond the 100-appearance mark for the club he joined as a teenager back in 2015, and given the West Brom squad is set to undergo major changes this summer, keeping a player possessing real leadership and knowledge of the club is still a useful tool for Corberan which the club must not be rid of.
There’s no denying O’Shea’s popularity and importance within the West Brom camp during the last campaign, and the 24-year-old will have endeared himself even further to the Baggies fans after being pictured on 9 March buying a classic Albion shirt in the Birmingham shopping centre.
The defender has been a hugely important figure for the club since his emergence from the academy setup and is well on his way to becoming a club icon for his consistent performances at the heart of the Baggies back-line this season.
With centre-back partner Erik Pieters out of contract and unlikely to secure his future at The Hawthorns, West Brom can ill-afford to lose another crucial Corberan component in the team, and O’Shea is arguably the biggest in the squad.
Considering his form last season, the defender may well attract some transfer interest in the summer, especially given the Albion’s failure to secure promotion but if there is one player capable of showing loyalty to the Corberan cause, it is O’Shea and West Brom must exploit.
Losing him this summer may well mean another damaging promotion failure next season. It’d be more cost-efficient and effective in the long-term to keep O’Shea than sell him. It may prove a catastrophic error.
In other West Brom news, one pundit has mooted a summer move for a Player of the Season nominee at the Albion.