Alex Mowatt joins Valérien Ismaël at West Bromwich Albion

Alex Mowatt has followed Valérien Ismaël in leaving Barnsley to join West Bromwich Albion.

The former Tykes skipper arrives at The Hawthorns on a three-year contract after his deal at Oakwell expired.

Mowatt’s arrival represents the Baggies’ first activity in the summer window as the club looks to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

It was Leeds United who provided the now 26-year-old with his professional debut in 2013, and he went on to make 116 appearances across three-and-a-half years at Elland Road.

He began to develop a reputation for netting long-range strikes during his time with the Whites and was named the club’s Young Player of the Year for the 2013/14 season.

As well as long-range goals, Mowatt also added dangerous set-plays to his arsenal as he won Leeds’ Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards for 2014/15 after scoring nine goals throughout the campaign.

In January 2017, the Yorkshireman joined Barnsley on a two-and-a-half-year deal, for a fee reported to be around £600,000.

It was a loan move to Oxford United during the 2017/2018 season which saw Mowatt kickstart his Barnsley career.

After 30 appearances at the Kassam Stadium, he returned to Oakwell following the club’s relegation to League One.

Mowatt earned himself a spot in the PFA’s League One Team of the Year as he helped the Tykes return to the Championship.

He also played a key role in helping Gerhard Struber retain Barnsley’s second-tier place which culminated in a 2-1 win at Griffin Park against Brentford in a result that also secured his new club’s promotion.

The recent achievements of Ismaël and Mowatt have been well documented with Barnsley recording their highest league finish in more than 20 years.

The midfielder was crucial in implementing Ismaël’s intense, high-pressure style whilst also registering eight goals and seven assists as captain.

Upon his arrival to the West Midlands, Ismaël has gone on record explaining Mowatt’s qualities and what he’ll bring to Albion.

“He (Mowatt) is a hard worker with the right mentality and a lot of energy. The way Alex plays will suit the West Brom mentality.”

“Signing Alex is important to help the team understand the principles of our play. It will give the guys more confidence and understanding of how we want to play. It will be easier for them to follow him”

Mowatt bolsters the Baggies’ midfield which looked depleted following the departure of Conor Gallagher, Okay Yokuşlu and Ainsley Maitland-Niles and the sale of academy graduate Rekeem Harper to Ipswich Town.

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