Tony Brown shares what he’s noticed about Aune Heggebo in pre-season ahead of West Brom v Blackburn
Aune Heggebo faces a massive task early into his West Brom career.
The striker was only brought into the Baggies this summer, but will be immediately called up to score goals.
Daryl Dike is once again injured for West Brom, ruling him out for the start of the campaign.
On top of this, Josh Maja is only just recovering from his knock, and is unlikely to be fully match sharp for the opening matches.
Therefore, Ryan Mason will need Heggebo to have a positive start.
Tony Brown tells Heggebo that an early goal is key
When looking for advice at West Brom, there are few better people to go to than Tony Brown.
The former attacker is a West Brom legend and netted a club record 279 goals during his stay at the Black Country club.
Therefore, in an interview on BBC Sounds on 7 August, Brown was asked to give his thoughts on Heggebo.
Here, Brown insisted Heggebo must score early on to help get the fans on his side.
He said: “As goal scorers, you live and you die by your goals; it never changes.
“I saw him in the warmup game on Saturday. He’s a big lad, he’s got a size about him. He’s strong and athletic, and hopefully, he can bring something different to the table.
“Last season, we struggled for goals; we had too many injuries, and hopefully, this lad can come in and start scoring goals.”
| Stats per 90 minutes from the 2024/25 Championship and the 2025 Eliteserien campaigns | Josh Maja | Aune Heggebo |
| Goals | 0.52 | 0.85 |
| xG | 0.43 | 0.70 |
| Shots | 2.08 | 3.02 |
| Shot on target | 0.78 | 1.39 |
| Expected assists | 0.08 | 0.11 |
| Successful dribbles | 0.82 | 0.85 |
| Chances created | 0.95 | 0.46 |
| Aerial duels won | 34.8% | 51.3% |
He then went on to say: “He’s got to come to the table quickly, he’s only just come and doesn’t really know his teammates and the way that they play, that’s all new to him.
“It’s a big ask for him, but that’s what you do, you are a footballer and that’s what you are paid for.
“They brought him in to score goals, and if he scores one or two goals early on, the Albion fans will take to him, and that’s a big thing when the fans take to you and are behind you.
“Hopefully, he can do that, have a good start to the season, and score one or two goals.”
Can Heggebo be the new Josh Maja?
As the table shows above, Heggebo could actually be better than Maja.
West Brom are in dire need of someone who can score goals, especially as Maja may take time to get back to form after his injury.
Promotion to the Premier League is key this season, and Heggebo will need to go a long way to prove to fans that he can compete with Maja.
However, if Mason can find a way to get both players in the starting XI, it would be a perfect recipe for promotion.
Sign up for the West Brom News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking West Bromwich Albion news sent straight to your phone.