West Brom star almost joined Championship rivals on loan in summer - report

Middlesbrough almost signed Grady Diangana on loan from West Ham before West Brom sealed a swoop for the attacker in the summer, according to the Birmingham Mail.

The newspaper claims on their website that Boro had basically signed up the 21-year-old before Albion snatched him from their clutches.

Diangana has been in sensational form since joining ex-West Ham boss Slaven Bilic at The Hawthorns in the summer transfer window, scoring four goals and supplying three assists in 10 Championship appearances.

It would be fair to say that without the England Under-20 international, Albion would be unlikely to be sitting at the top of the league table after 12 matches played.

According to stats by WhoScored, Diangana has averaged 2.8 dribbles per appearances this season, which ranks him fourth in the whole of the Championship.

He has also averaged 2.1 key passes per game, which ranks him 12th in the second-tier, which is not bad going for a player who is featuring on the left-wing rather than in a central playmaker role.

Diangana has been so important for West Brom this season and has been one of the best players in the Championship.

If he had joined Middlesbrough in the summer then Saturday's result at The Riverside could have been a lot more different to what it was, especially as Diangana played a key role in Albion's winner.