Luke O’Nien transfer to get Tony Mowbray’s seal of approval after West Brom latest
West Brom have been linked with a move to sign Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien.
If West Brom are to have any chance of making the play-offs, the first port of call has to be to sack Ryan Mason.
However, with that still yet to happen, the next priority is to strengthen the squad where possible, and the arrival of more quality across the board is going to be essential.
West Brom have been mooted with an interest in O’Nien, and having spent plenty of time with him at Sunderland, Tony Mowbray is likely to be a big fan.
Tony Mowbray once hailed Luke O’Nien as ‘amazing’
O’Nien never got the credit he perhaps deserved when Sunderland got promoted from the Championship, having featured 48 times for the Black Cats that campaign.
Defensively, he was sound, but it was his work rate that saw him become a legend on Wearside very quickly, though his gametime has been restricted in the Premier League as a result of Sunderland’s success.
However, those attributes have been with the defender for a while now, with Mowbray having previously hailed his work rate and attitude when they were together on Wearside.
Mowbray said: “Luke O’Nien – there are people here who know him better than I do, but what I would say is that I don’t think I’ve ever managed a better human being than Luke O’Nien. He just does everything right; he is an amazing guy.
“If anything, he overworks the coaches because he wants to watch every touch he has had in every game and see what he can do better. Then he wants to go out and practice and practice and practice.
“He’s a kid that, again, I didn’t really study his history, but if he started at Wycombe as a young boy and he has made massive strides in his career, I’m sure that if Sunderland don’t keep on progressing, that kid will find a way to get to the Premier League himself. He is an amazing kid.”
Of course, Sunderland did make it to the Premier League, as did O’Nien, much to the surprise of his former manager Gordon Bartlett, who claimed via Mackem News that he would never have seen him making it that far “in a million years.”
O’Nien has something else which would be of use to West Brom
While it’s vital to note that O’Nien would be signed as a centre-back, he actually joined Sunderland as an attacking midfielder.
Over the last eight years, he has featured everywhere across the back four, played as a holding or attacking midfielder, and even found himself in the wide areas on occasions.
Given West Brom’s lack of depth, having versatile players is going to be key to finding success in the second half of the campaign, and O’Nien is capable of being that figure.
Based on the influence he has had off the pitch, Sunderland may not want to sell him, but a loan deal for six months is something that may benefit all parties.