Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media.

James Barker

Mon 11 May 2026 7:00, UK

West Bromwich Albion need to strengthen on the right wing this summer, as James Morrison leads the Baggies into a big transfer window.

With their place in the Championship for 2026-27 secured, the way West Brom ended their 2025-26 season was incredibly impressive.

The appointment of Morrison, first as interim boss and now as Albion’s permanent head coach, is a has been a masterstroke from Shilen Patel.

‘Mozza’ had the Baggies playing some brilliant football in the final weeks of the season, and it was only a frustrating final day defeat to Sheffield Wednesday that prevented them from ending the campaign 11-games unbeaten.

Ahead of a vitally important summer transfer window, West Brom News takes a look at the three positions in this Albion squad that need to be prioritised for bolstering first.

West Brom need more quality depth on the right wing

With Jed Wallace out of contract at West Brom this summer, Albion’s ranks down the right wing look very thin.

Youngster Ollie Bostock can play there, but the 19-year-old is probably a player that, in an ideal world, would be loaned out this summer.

Mikey Johnston could be an option down that side next season, but it remains to be seen how he recovers from his stress fracture in his ankle, and has typically been deployed down the left during his time at The Hawthorns.

So, this position should be right at the top of West Brom’s shopping list this summer, as Morrison does have a strong spine to build around, but could do with some more added threat and quality from down this channel.

Max O’Leary has to be handed West Brom contract

West Brom’s big no-brainer decision of the summer is to ink goalkeeper Max O’Leary to a long-term contract.

The 29-year-old joined on a short-term deal from Bristol City in this past season’s winter window, but is now set to hit the free agent market.

Despite a slow start to life in B71, which saw him make a handful of mistakes and let in a couple of soft goals, the Irish international ended the season in superb form, and Albion probably wouldn’t still be a second-tier side if it wasn’t for him.

At 29, he’s still firmly in the prime of his career as a goalkeeper, and his displays over the final weeks of the 2025-26 campaign proved that he’s a quality shot-stopper at this level.

Good goalkeepers are hard to find, and so when you’ve got one, it’s imperative that you retain their services for as long as possible.

Seeing O’Leary go and sign for a different team on a free transfer would be a painful sight for Baggies to witness, so perhaps before they do anything else, they should get his permanent signature down on the dotted line.

West Brom must be ruthless and search for a new striker

West Brom’s forward ranks could look very different in 2026-27, with no less than three strikers all out of contract.

Josh Maja, Karlan Grant and Daryl Dike respectively are all scheduled to hit the free agent market this summer, and it’s not yet clear about how Albion feel about trying to bring any of them back.

All three have endured disappointing 2025-26 campaigns, whilst Aune Heggebo has also experienced an up and down debut campaign with nine goals from 46 Championship appearances.

Therefore, if Morrison and the Baggies are serious about kicking on next season, and certainly not wanting to be embroiled in another relegation battle, their spearpoint in attack needs to be sharper.

Perhaps to get the best out of Heggebo, he needs better performances from his strike partners when it comes to the link-up play.

Even if Maja and/or Dike are brought back, that shouldn’t stop West Brom from signing another striker, as this past season has proven that Albion don’t have a centre-forward they can confidently hang their hat on.