West Brom faced with Ross Stewart no-brainer as Southampton announcement made

West Bromwich Albion could do far, far worse than look to bring Ross Stewart in on a free this summer.

The Baggies will be no stranger to the magnitude of this summer, as they look to right their wrongs from the previous campaign.

James Morrison played his part in keeping Albion in the Championship, but how high their ceiling is will be decided by what they manage to do in the transfer window.

The first decision will concern those set to leave, with Josh Maja and Daryl Dike both on their way out when their contracts expire at the end of the month.

As a result, it's almost certain that a new striker to partner Aune Heggebo will be the main priority.

And with Southampton having recently announced the exit of Stewart, West Brom must look to strike.

What would Ross Stewart bring to West Brom?

Maja scored four goals in 40 appearances last season, showcasing just how much Albion struggled in the final third.

Stewart would change that immediately, as showcased by the fact that he averaged one goal for every 122 minutes that he played.

However, the Scotsman is able to impact games away from his goals, with his excellent link-up and hold-up play.

Only 6.1 per cent of Championship strikers won a higher percentage of their duels than Stewart, who won an average of 6.06 per 90.

On a free transfer, it would be a no-brainer, though any deal would come with one caveat.

Stewart's injury record examined

Had Stewart stayed injury-free throughout his time at Sunderland, he would almost certainly be a Premier League player today

But that was his main issue, and it has been the case ever since he suffered the first knee injury.

Since the end of 2022, he has missed a remarkable 149 games due to injury, having missed 20 in the most recent campaign.

If West Brom can somehow address that, then they could get their hands on one of the best strikers in the league based on his record in front of goal.