Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Mon 6 April 2026 9:00, UK

West Bromwich Albion may have serious regret when it comes to Southampton’s Leo Scienza.

Making the switch to St Mary’s on deadline day last summer, the Brazilian’s move went somewhat under the radar in the Championship.

Though just days before, he had been heavily linked with Ryan Mason’s Albion, with Tom Fellows leaving for the South Coast side too.

Since then, the 27-year-old has continued to shine, with some labelling him as the best player in the Championship – backed up by his performance in Southampton’s 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win against Arsenal.

With the Baggies struggling for attacking inspiration at the bottom end of the division for large parts of the season, they may have serious transfer regret regarding Scienza.

Leo Scienza is one of the Championship’s best with Southampton

After a poor start to the season for the Saints under Will Still, Tonda Eckert has been able to rescue the club’s season following their relegation from the Premier League.

Southampton are now in the hunt for a play-off place, with Scienza thriving alongside fellow summer signing Caspar Jander in particular.

Spending the entirety of his professional career in Germany, it would not be until the 2024-25 season that the Brazilian winger made a name for himself in the Bundesliga.

Signing from Ulm in the summer of 2024, Scienza scored six times and registered six assists for a struggling Heidenheim side – before he scored the goal to keep FCH in the division during the relegation play-off against Elversberg.

Creating the most big chances in the league, with 19, the winger is an all-action creator, who can quite frankly do a bit of everything in the final third.

He is a dribbling expert, with 2.26 successful dribbles per 90, 2.26 chances created, 3.22 shots, and 1.72 successful crosses.

Always looking to make something happen, Scienza is often the man called upon to conjure up a moment for the Saints, while his wide variety of attacking qualities make him suitable for almost any side across the division, no matter the system and style of play.

West Brom will regret not having a Scienza-like influence

While it would be unfair to criticise any club for not having a player to match the potential best in the Championship, the Baggies may feel a sense of regret with the fact that he could have been theirs.

While there have been promising signs in recent weeks under James Morrison, the simple fact is that West Brom have not scored enough goals over the term, leaving them battling for their survival.

Aune Heggebo sits as the top scorer for the Black Country outfit with nine, while Isaac Price trails with seven.

Outside of that, George Campbell and Nat Phillips sit next up with four and three, respectively – an incredibly concerning figure, having two defenders among the top scorers.

Scienza is a plug-and-play type player who would fit in any system and contribute, the exact influence that the Baggies have been craving throughout the term.