West Brom told they’ve messed up over Torbjorn Heggem deal for one key reason
West Brom made a huge profit on defender Torbjorn Heggem after selling him to Bologna.
Norwegian defender Heggem sealed a transfer worth an estimated £10million to the Serie A side earlier in August.
That’s after West Brom signed him for around £600,000 just a year prior. A sell-on clause has also been included in the deal.
The Baggies have already sealed a replacement for Heggem, bringing in Krystian Bielik from Birmingham.
Yet Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has still accused them of making a mistake in selling Heggem.
Lee Hendrie says West Brom should have kept Heggem
Heggem became somewhat of a cult hero at West Brom despite only making 46 appearances for the club.
His transfer to Bologna is one of the most profitable in the history of the club.
Even so, Hendrie believes that the Baggies would have benefited more from keeping hold of the defender, citing the recent appointment of Ryan Mason as the main factor why.
Speaking to Football League World, he suggested that selling Heggem would spoil Mason’s plans to build a winning squad in his own image.
He said: “You do feel that West Brom, with a new manager, trying to build and move foundations to take them forward, I’m not sure this was the right move.
“I think West Brom should have done all they could to keep hold of him as he is at a fine age of 26 and was a big player for the club.”
Despite the acquisition of Bielik, Hendrie tipped West Brom to use the money from Heggem’s sale to sign even more players this summer.
Mason has just over two weeks remaining to do so before the summer transfer window closes.
West Brom had no choice but to sell Heggem
Heggem was a big part of the West Brom squad last season, and remained one of the most talented players at The Hawthorns.
However, when a club like Bologna comes knocking on the door with an eight-figure bid, it would be hard for any Championship club to keep hold of any player.
| Torbjorn Heggam West Brom statistics | |
| Signed | July 2024 |
| Appearances | 46 |
| Goals | 1 |
Heggem would have had ambitions to play football at the highest level, and turning down such a mammoth bid would have annoyed him. It would unsettle any player at this level.
With £10m in the bank, Mason should be able to build a Baggies squad that is much stronger, even without the Norwegian in his defence.
The quick acquisition of Bielik shows that West Brom weren’t without a backup plan.
It will be exciting to see if Mason can attract any more big stars to the club before the transfer window closes.
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