Corberan could sign West Brom’s next Grady Diangana in swoop for £0 EFL star – opinion

West Bromwich Albion fans will be eagerly anticipating any developments of new arrivals into the building at the Hawthorns, with much of the talk this off-season in Baggies quarters centring on a number of departures.

It doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom from a West Brom perspective, however, with a new and fresh squad next campaign perhaps working in their favour, ahead of another promotion push being on the cards.The West Midlands outfit could even sign a player with the same sublime trickery as Grady Diangana this transfer window, if reports are correct, without having to break the bank to do so.

                        West Brom looking at entertaining free-agent

According to a recent report from Birmingham World, the Championship play-off semi-finalists from last season are ready to ‘lock horns’ with rivals Birmingham City over the signature of soon-to-be free agent Josh Windass, who is out of contract with Sheffield Wednesday imminently.

Looking nailed on to sign a new deal at Hillsborough at one point, after performing valiantly for the Owls during their relegation worries, talks between the 30-year-old attacking midfielder and the South Yorkshire side have since stalled, leading to West Brom’s keen interest forming.

The report further suggests that the Baggies have even made contact, with Carlos Corberan’s men potentially having the upper-hand in any potential transfer scrap, owing to their status in the Championship, compared to Birmingham’s now League One positioning.

What Windass could offer West Brom

With speculation also suggesting that Diangana could be off this summer, Windass might well be the natural successor West Brom need if the Congolese attacker does end up leaving, having enthralled and entertained fans at Hillsborough in a similar manner over his many years at Wednesday, to that of Diangana back at the Hawthorns.

Much like the former West Ham United winger too, Windass has equally frustrated those in South Yorkshire across his long-standing association with Danny Rohl’s men, often going missing in games.

Yet, it’s his ability to conjure up a slice of magic in clutch moments, like his audacious strike against Blackburn Rovers above, that will have piqued the interest of Corberan and Co the most, especially if they end up landing Windass – who was described as being a “game-changer” for Wednesday on his day last season by Rohl – for nothing.

Despite Diangana bettering Windass with his overall output for the season, the 30-year-old forward could still offer the same energy in attack as that of the West Brom number 11 and give even more to the cause, with Windass averaging more shots per game last season when contrasted with Diangana, alongside impressively scoring at a more rapid pace at every 293 minutes.

Even if the 26-year-old were to stick it out at the Hawthorns ahead of next season, Windass would still be a worthwhile capture to make, with the former Accrington Stanley man also able to offer more depth down the wings.

Windass has played down either flank on occasion for Wednesday, which will help in areas that certainly need more numbers filling in at the moment at West Brom, with Matt Phillips no longer being on the books in the West Midlands one notable departee.

West Brom supporters will be apprehensive about their side’s chances of going one better and actually tasting promotion next campaign, but that shouldn’t mean the entertainment levels at the club suffer, with Windass guaranteed to get fans of his new club off their feet, if playing to the best of his ability.

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