West Brom told to wrap up 'enormous' Ian Poveda transfer after what expert saw in person

Don Goodman has urged West Brom to complete a "bargain" deal for free agent winger Ian Poveda.

Mirror journalist Darren Witcoop reported on 8 June that Poveda is attracting interest from Albion, Cardiff City and Luton Town.

Sheffield Wednesday are also said to want to land the Colombian on a permanent deal, having seen him impress on loan in 2024-25.

Now without a club after officially departing Leeds United at the end of his contract, Goodman has talked up the 24-year-old's potential.

"West Brom are going to need to look at players like that," Goodman told West Brom News. "While his statistics don't look good on paper, when you see him in the flesh you can see he's a player of enormous potential.

"This is now a big choice for him because he needs to find a home, and a club that has a coach able to get more out of him, where he will play regularly in the first team. That's something he's not had previously.

"He lit up the league last season when he was able to play for Sheffield Wednesday and was an important player to them staying up. So I can certainly see why a team like West Brom would be linked with him.

"A player like that, no transfer fee involved and reasonable wage demands I'd imagine, he fits the profile a player like West Brom should be looking at.

"Carlos Corberan has experience of doing that and improving them. If they can get Poveda through the door, improve him by 20 per cent, improve his decision making and his output, they could have an absolute bargain on their hands."

Ian Poveda transfer makes sense for West Brom

Shilen Patel may now be at The Hawthorns helm, ushering in a new era for the club, but big spending this summer is still unlikely.

Supporters will hope - rightly so - that money is spent on at least a few more players following the reported £500,000 arrival of  centre-back Torbjrn Heggem.

Defensive midfielder Ousmane Diakite has also joined on a free, but now some attacking options are required - especially after losing Mikey Johnston.

Poveda, as Goodman points out, hardly boasts the best figures in terms of his output - he failed to score in 10 games for Wednesday last season - but he certainly has something about him.

Carlos Corberan has a knack of getting the absolute most out of players, which could well be the case for low-cost investment Poveda.

In other West Brom news, Goodman believes Albion could be automatic promotion candidates next season on one condition.

For more West Brom news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.