Ryan Mason has ‘recipe for West Brom disaster’ as new pre-season figures emerge
West Brom are preparing for the Ryan Mason era to begin, but there may be an unexpected hiccup.
Shilen Patel has backed the former Tottenham coach with three new additions at the moment, with Nat Phillips, Aune Heggebo and George Campbell.
However, with the Championship campaign kicking off on Saturday, there is still work to be done on the transfer front if the Baggies are to compete for promotion.
The Opta supercomputer has predicted Albion to finish sixth in the second tier; however, they need to add to their squad if they are to seriously compete for a Premier League berth.
| Predicted Position | Title win % |
| 1. Sheffield United | 26.5 |
| 2. Leicester City | 7.8 |
| 3. Ipswich Town | 8.1 |
| 4. Coventry | 6.6 |
| 5. Southampton | 4.9 |
| 6. West Brom | 5 |
Furlong figures emerge from West Brom pre-season
Darnell Furlong has been with West Brom since 2019 and has surpassed the 200 appearance mark for the Black Country club.
The right-back was one of their most utilised players last season, ranking second only to Torbjorn Heggem (4,014) for minutes played in the Championship with 3,706.
That order was reversed in pre-season, as Furlong narrowly edged out the Norway star by five minutes in the friendlies with Dynamo Kyiv, Blackpool, Lincoln & Rayo Vallecano in figures revealed by West Brom Statto on X on 7 August.
Mason could have Furlong problem after figure reveal
Given the number of minutes that the 28-year-old has racked up last season and then in pre-season, he could be at an increased risk of injury.
That is especially true when the Baggies do not have a true replacement for him, so he is forced to play so much.
Mason Holgate can step in when necessary, and Under-21 ace Deago Nelson could be given a chance in the senior side if Furlong is out and Mason does not fancy the former Everton defender.
However, neither of those options would give supporters any faith, and it could be a disaster for Mason if Furlong gets injured in the middle of the promotion battle with no legitimate number two option.
Patel and Co. need to address the glaring weakness on the right side of defence before it is too late; otherwise, they could come to regret it if the promotion dream falls apart again.
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