West Brom’s Chris Mepham reacts as Ipswich complete loan signing
Chris Mepham has failed to live up to expectations this season.
Mepham joined West Brom from Bournemouth in the summer transfer window, and fans were incredibly excited by what he could bring to the team.
The Wales international has a lot of experience in the Championship and earned promotion to the Premier League with Sunderland in 2024-25.
Although Mepham scored a last-gasp equaliser against Derby on Friday, he needs to step up his game massively.
Mepham has been very poor for West Brom, and the centre-back is prone to making several defensive mistakes.
Chris Mepham reacts as Dan Neil joins Ipswich on loan
Mepham played with English midfielder Dan Neil at Sunderland last season.
They achieved promotion from the Championship together, with Neil captaining the side throughout the season at the Stadium of Light.
However, he has struggled for game time this campaign and has not started a single Premier League game under Regis Le Bris.
Ipswich have now signed him on loan until the end of the season, and with his contract expiring in June, he has already played his last game for the Black Cats.
Neil was linked with a move to West Brom, but was ultimately snapped up by Keiran McKenna’s side, who are looking to secure promotion back to the top flight.
The Sunderland Instagram account posted about his departure and sent a heartfelt message to their academy graduate, which Mepham liked.
Mepham then reposted it on his personal account and sent this message to Neil: “One of a kind! Good luck, brother.”
Both players will face off against each other when the Baggies host Ipswich on 25 April, which is the last game of the season.
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Does Mepham deserve to start under Eric Ramsay?
Eric Ramsay is still looking for his first win as West Brom manager, and Mepham hasn’t covered himself in glory since his arrival.
In the 5-0 defeat to Norwich City at The Hawthorns, he was abysmal, and as a result, he was dropped for the Derby match.
One reason Ramsay could decide to keep him in the team is his impressive range of passing.
| Stat | Mepham |
| Pass accuracy | 87.8% |
| Long ball accuracy | 50% |
| Chances created | 6 |
| Touches | 1,473 |
Ramsay’s tactics have come under intense scrutiny, and the 3-4-3 certainly isn’t suiting the players at this moment in time.
Mepham could do with some time on the bench, although if Ramsay persists with using three centre-backs, then the 28-year-old will feature most of the time.
His goal on Friday might be enough to bring him back into the side, although he has to do much more in his own box to prove himself to the fans.
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