West Brom deal ‘done’, Max Allegri says he’s got ‘all the qualities to play in midfield’
West Brom have their first deal of deadline day in the bag as they have moved to strengthen their squad in the final stages of the window.
Ryan Mason’s side have shown plenty of positive signs in the early stages of the new Championship campaign, and last-minute additions could be crucial to help them sustain their bright opening across the coming months.
Chris Mepham is one of West Brom’s latest signings, and he produced an impressive performance on debut to help his team to victory and a clean sheet at Stoke on Saturday.
The Baggies’ tally of summer additions currently stands at seven, but that could be about to change imminently, with another transfer now finalised.
West Brom have Samuel Iling-Junior deal ‘done’
West Brom are on the verge of signing Samuel Iling-Junior, with the Aston Villa youngster set to join on a season-long loan.
The wideman has been undergoing a medical early on deadline day ahead of his switch to B71, and there is now positive news emerging regarding his imminent arrival at The Hawthorns.
- Iling-Junior joined Villa for an initial fee of £11.8million last summer but is yet to make a competitive appearance for them
- He split the 2024/25 campaign between loan spells with Bologna and Middlesbrough
- He came through the youth ranks at both Chelsea and Juventus, and made 45 appearances for the Old Lady’s first team
The Baggies have made swift progress to work towards completing a deal for the 21-year-old in the last few days, and the deal to secure his signature for 2025/26 is now “done,” according to journalist Andy Jones via his X account.
Although primarily a winger, Iling-Junior is capable of operating in a number of positions, but he will certainly provide valuable cover for the B71 outfit down their left flank.
Max Allegri rates Iling-Junior highly
Iling-Junior is a long-term target for West Brom, and they will be delighted to finally get a deal done to bring him into their ranks for the foreseeable future.
The youngster was part of England’s triumphant Euro U21 squad earlier this summer, and previously spent time in both the academy setup and first-team at Juventus.
He is a hugely versatile option, who is capable of playing at either left-wing, left-back or as a striker, and former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri even suggested that he could play in a midfield role.
“In my opinion, he (Iling-Junior) has the qualities to play as a midfielder, but I haven’t tried him there yet,” he revealed back in 2023, via All Football.
Allegri clearly valued Iling-Junior’s technical ability very highly in order to make such a statement, and that will be a hugely positive sign for the Albion faithful, who will now be eagerly awaiting his signing to be announced.
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