Credit: Tung Manh Phan/Breaking Media

James Barker

Thu 21 May 2026 16:00, UK

Danny Imray shouldn’t be signed as a right-back if West Bromwich Albion can agree a permanent deal for him this summer.

After enduring a slow start to life at The Hawthorns having joined on loan from Crystal Palace in last season’s winter window, Imray ended the 2025-26 campaign in impressive fashion.

The 22-year-old would start every single one of Albion’s final 11 Championship games, playing a pivotal role in the Baggies’ survival.

James Morrison was certainly able to extract more out of many players in the squad, and Imray was one of the biggest beneficiaries of his appointment.

As such, West Brom’s summer transfer shortlist is bound to feature Imray’s name, especially given his services could be acquired on a free.

Why West Brom shouldn’t sign Danny Imray as a right-back

Wolves and West Brom are reportedly interested in Imray, with his current deal at Crystal Palace set to expire this summer.

A number of other sides have also been credited with monitoring his situation, and it’s not yet clear whether Palace have the option/intent to sign him to a new contract.

However, his new affinity to Albion and the fact he’d surely be guaranteed a starting role under Morrison due to his end-of-season exploits puts West Brom in a strong position to win his services.

If they do get a deal done, Morrison shouldn’t be bringing him back to B71 as a right-back, instead, he might be better served pushing him on as a right winger.

Jed Wallace is leaving on a free this summer at the end of his contract, and that leaves Albion’s options on the right side of midfield extremely thin.

Isaac Price finished the 2025-26 season in great form being deployed on the left and could make that spot his own now, whilst Mikey Johnston‘s injury and persistent transfer interest puts his Albion future into some doubt.

With Wallace’s imminent departure, West Brom don’t have a natural right-sided midfielder, with Ollie Bostock a left-sided player by trade who can play on the right if needed.

But, in Alfie Gilchrist, Albion have a right-back who they paid a seven-figure fee for last summer, and with a bit more patience and increased opportunities, has the pedigree and potential to come good for them.

That could free up Imray to kick on further up the pitch as a right winger, and that’s a role he has played before, and it’s clear that many of his strengths lie in the attacking-side of his game too.

Why Imray’s numbers paint an alarming defensive picture

With a goal and two assists from 16 Championship appearances for West Brom, Imray showed that he’s a player who loves to get forward and contribute in attack.

As per FotMob, he averaged 0.32 shots on target per game last season, which ranked him in the top 17.9 percentile of second-tier right-backs in 2025-26.

His 1.29 successful dribbles per 90 ranked him in the top six percentile of his positional peers, but on the flip side, he placed poorly in a host of important defensive metrics.

Imray’s 52.1 per cent duels won ranked him in the bottom 35 percentile of Championship right-backs, whilst his 43.5 per cent aerial duels won put him in the lower 25.6 percentile respectively.

Meanwhile, he averaged just 6.05 defensive contributions per game, which scored him in the bottom 47 percentile, and his 1.94 tackles per 90 was only just above average respectively.

All the above considered then, and bringing Imray back to The Hawthorns to primarily play as a right winger could be a very shrewd move to make.

It could allow him to offer more of his best attributes, would shore up squad depth at the position and enable Gilchrist to perhaps evolve into the starting right-back he was always supposed to be in B71.