(Credit: Imago)

Jacob Raw

Tue 26 May 2026 18:45, UK

West Bromwich Albion could be one of several Championship clubs who are interested in signing Brighton’s Tommy Watson this summer.

The winger left Sunderland last summer to join the Seagulls in a deal worth around £10million, before being loaned out to Millwall for the second half of this campaign.

There has been reports to say that Brighton are making the Englishman available for loan once again this summer, with multiple unnamed Championship clubs interested.

James Morrison and Shilen Patel will have to work carefully to make the right additions, tiptoeing around financial constraints, which makes free transfers and loan signings more appealing.

West Brom could make a move for Watson, and the stats to his game prove why the Baggies would be landing a top-class Championship player.

West Brom journalists put West Brom’s name forward for Tommy Watson

West Brom’s transfer plans have started, but Albion are still awaiting contract decisions from the likes of Karlan Grant and Josh Maja.

If either of them were to depart The Hawthorns this summer, they would need instant replacing, and though there’s not much data from Watson’s time with Millwall this term, he’d still be a shrewd piece of business to pull off.

As seen in the table above, the 20-year-old struggled for game time at The Den this term, managing just 241 minutes of league action for the Lions, but he still managed to create an average of 1.12 chances per 90.

Local Baggies journalists Jonny Drury and Lewis Cox spoke about the prospect of signing Watson on loan while speaking for the Express & Star this week.

Drury said: “I’ve had a bit of thought, he’s available on loan, Watson.”

Cox replied: “It could be above Albion’s heads, but moving on the likes of Maja, [Daryl] Dike and [Jed] Wallace, they could put something attractive together for a player like that.”

Watson scored Sunderland’s winning goal in the play-off final against Sheffield United last season, and could be the type of clutch player that West Brom need.

Watson’s time with Sunderland offers more information, as the youngster had a dribble success rate of 40.6 per cent, creating 13 chances in just 11 starts.

The left-winger scored two goals in total for the Black Cats in total, but also showed his ability in the Carabao Cup for Brighton this season, padding a hat-trick of assists in a 6-0 win against Barnsley.

West Brom would have best wing duo if they signed Watson

Mikey Johnston is due to be fit for pre-season after sustaining a leg break earlier this campaign, which had Albion fans fearing the worst.

The Irishman still finished as the highest assist producer for the club with nine, and his absence was felt in large spells of the run-in.

However, Johnston’s versatility will once again be key, should the Baggies keep him, as he could go over to the right while Watson plays on the left.

It’s important to note that there have been no official links to say that West Brom will try and sign the Brighton hotshot, but all things considered, it would be no great surprise if Albion are one of the unnamed clubs interested in him.