Season Preview: West Bromwich Albion looking for instant Premier League return under new boss Valérien Ismaël

West Bromwich Albion will be aiming to bounce straight back to the Premier League at the first time of asking as they look to secure a sixth promotion from the Championship, under new boss Valérien Ismaël.

The 2020/2021 season was a truly dismal one for the Baggies as they managed to accumulate just 26 points in the Premier League following promotion under former West Ham United boss Slaven Bilić.

With COVID-19 having a detrimental effect on club finances at The Hawthorns, Albion supporters believed that their season was destined for disaster after only spending around £25 million on up-front costs for new signings.

Although, the arrivals of Karlan Grant, Branislav Ivanović and Conor Gallagher as well as permanent deals for Grady Diangana, Matheus Pereira and Callum Robinson sparked hopes of a possible survival challenge.

One win from 13 fixtures saw Bilić lose his job despite holding eventual champions Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium in his final game in charge.

Survival specialist Sam Allardyce would replace the Croat, however, it would prove to be one great escape too many for the 66-year-old who lost his record of never being relegated from the top-flight.

In spite of an upturn in form caused by the January additions of Robert Snodgrass, Okay Yokuşlu, Mbaye Diagne and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, the Baggies were relegated with three games to play which capped off a miserable campaign.

Transfers

The potential departure of Pereira would dominate Albion-related headlines as the club looked to avoid a relegation exodus.

11 goals and six assists in his debut Premier League campaign only enhanced the Brazilian’s reputation further following a stellar Championship season. Therefore, it would come as no surprise that stories emerged stating that he would be moving on this summer.

West Ham, Leicester and Red Bull Leipzig were all reportedly keen, as Ismaël prepared for the new season without the star attacker and labelled him “not committed”, which Pereira denied and reiterated his desire to leave.

Though a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabian-based outfit Al Hilal would prove too good for Pereira to turn down as he joined on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

Having previously set a price tag of £30 million on Pereira, it appears that Al Hilal have secured a deal for around half of that amount. Ultimately, the player’s intentions to leave and his club’s need to sell played a major part in that.

On the other hand, England international Sam Johnstone looks set to remain at the club despite being made available for transfer as he enters the final year of his contract.

West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham had been heavily linked with the former Manchester United shot-stopper, but with the Irons completing a deal for France ‘keeper Alphonse Areola as well as the North London rivals finding other solutions to their goalkeeping situations, a move looks unlikely for Johnstone.

Recent reports have suggested that Johnstone and the Baggies have held preliminary talks over a potential new deal which would include a “get out of jail release clause” in the event of promotion failure this season.

Nonetheless, an agreement would certainly be an unexpected boost to Ismaël on the eve of the new Championship campaign.

Amidst managerial chaos earlier on in the window, Hal Robson-Kanu, Charlie Austin, Kamil Grosicki, Kyle Edwards, Ivanovic, Lee Peltier, and Andy Lonergan were all released at the end of their contracts.

Once Ismaël was finally confirmed as head coach, the former Barnsley manager would move swiftly to bring Tykes captain Alex Mowatt to the club.

Promising midfielder Quevin Castro and former Derby County loanee Matt Clarke would be next through the door as the former Wolfsburg boss bolstered his squad ahead of a gruelling campaign.

Versatile left-sided player Adam Reach would become the Baggies’ next signing with Championship experience rife amongst Ismaël’s squad.

Manager

Initially, there was an extended period of uncertainty at The Hawthorns this summer after Allardyce announced he would leave the club at the end of the season. Former Sporting and Technical Director Luke Dowling led Albion’s search for a new head coach.

Chris Wilder was Dowling’s favoured choice, with the former Sheffield United manager’s track record of promotion and improving teams making him an attractive option.

Yet, majority shareholder, Guochuan Lai vetoed a move for Wilder due to the way that he clashed with Blades owner Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, despite Lai having little involvement in decision-making after purchasing the club in 2016.

A move to appoint David Wagner also collapsed after the German-American opted to join BSC Young Boys instead. With Dowling’s position becoming untenable he left the club by mutual consent.

Chief Executive, Xu Ke triggered a £2 million compensation clause to enter talks with Ismaël and quickly came to an agreement with the ex-Bayern Munich defender.

The relentless, high-pressing style implemented by Ismaël at Oakwell won a vast amount of plaudits as Barnsley finished in fifth place only a season after surviving relegation on the final day of the season.

Ismaël has since emphasised that he wants to replicate that style, whilst admitting that the calibre of player in the Albion squad should see his new side dominate possession more often than his previous employers did.

“It’s all about high-intensity on the pitch, being unpleasant for the opponent and giving everything for 90 minutes.

“The intensity will not change, whether it is Barnsley or West Brom. The difference is the squad and its quality. My expectation is that we will have more possession here than Barnsley.

“We play 3-4-3 and all the players – the three centre-halves, wing-backs, the No. 6 and front-three – need to hit numbers to make sure we have that intensity.

“This is my way to success and the good thing with the data is that you don’t need finance, or an agent telling you things, it’s about finding the right player for the position.”

Targets

Without a doubt, the target for Ismaël, his squad and the club as a whole will be to win promotion back to the Premier League.

The squad is good enough to do so and under a manager whose exploits last season saw him linked to the vacancy at Crystal Palace, the aim is a realistic one.

Alongside results, supporters will hope to see the Baggies rediscover their DNA which has become blighted by short-termism in recent years.

An attractive style of football that runs through the spine of the club and into the academy would please supporters.

Handing Ismaël a four-year contract was indicative of the trust that Ke and the board have in their new head coach, but it will not be an easy task catering for both short-term and long-term goals.

Key Player

Diangana lit up the second-tier on the way to promotion throughout the 2019/2020 season, making it somewhat of a surprise that he was ineffective in the top-flight.

Notwithstanding injury problems, at just 21-years-old the West Ham academy graduate directly contributed to 14 goals and put fear into Championship defenders with electric pace and bamboozling skills.

Consequently, there was turmoil amongst the West Ham fanbase when a bid of just £12 million was accepted to bring Diangana to the West Midlands permanently.

While that deal could eventually rise to around £18 million with performance-related add-ons, it was seen as a coup at the time and Diangana began the season well with a stunning strike against Everton.

However, after suffering a hamstring strain in January against Arsenal, Diangana fell out of favour under Allardyce and ended the season with just 20 appearances.

But judging off pre-season friendlies, the beginning of a new era under Ismaël seems to have provided Diangana with a fresh lease of life to the despair of defenders.

Ismaël has been vocal in his backing of Diangana and is counting on the tricky-winger to lead his side to promotion.

“Step by step, he’s become stronger, and he’s on the front foot.

“He has huge quality, it could be a massive season for him”.

Youth Prospect

The only significant area of weakness in the Albion squad lies in the striker position. Kenneth Zohore has been disappointing since joining the club from Cardiff City, whilst Robinson and Grant seem more suited to wide roles.

Step forward 20-year-old Rayhaan Tulloch. Born in Birmingham, Tulloch has been at The Hawthorns since he was nine and progressed through the youth ranks before making his professional debut in 2019.

Eye-catching performances in PL2 led to Tulloch joining former boss and Baggies hero Darren Moore at Doncaster Rovers on a season-long loan for the 2020/21 season.

Unfortunately for the youngster, he suffered a hamstring injury which saw his loan spell at the Keepmoat Stadium cut short.

Though he would return to the Black Country and play a part in the second half of the PL2 campaign.

Tulloch seized the opportunity provided by Ismaël in pre-season and even scored the final goal in a 4-0 win against local rivals Birmingham City.

Alongside fellow academy graduates, Tulloch has made a big impression on his new manager.

“I think at the moment I said that the good thing is our young players are doing well and they have given us time (in the market).”

Former Swansea City boss Steve Cooper managed Tulloch throughout his time in the England youth set-up and painted a picture of the style of player he is.

“Rayhaan was, on his day, a really big threat – very direct and able to turn a game through his skill and athleticism. He could play a number of positions.

“He’s quick and the type of player that’s broken through a lot recently – like Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi.”

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