West Bromwich Albion secure the signing of Daryl Dike on a permanent deal

West Bromwich Albion have announced the arrival of Orlando City striker Daryl Dike on a four-year deal, reuniting the forward with boss Valérien Ismaël following their time together at Barnsley.

Dike’s arrival for an undisclosed fee is a much-needed one for the Baggies with Ismaël’s side having struggled for goals in recent matches despite, more often than not, being the dominant force.

The USMNT forward netted nine goals in 19 league matches after arriving at Oakwell in January 2020, firing the Tykes to a play-off finish in the process.

Dike was reported to be creating interest from a number of Serie A sides meaning his signature is somewhat of a coup for the Baggies.

He arrives at The Hawthorns after scoring in each of his final five appearances for Orlando and bagged eight goals in his last 10 matches for the MLS side.

It previously appeared that an agreement would see Dike arrive at The Hawthorns on an initial loan with a permanent deal to be triggered upon promotion. However, the eventual transfer not only represents a vital boost to Ismaël’s promotion bid following Monday’s 1-0 defeat to Derby County but also long-term security to their valuable asset.

A summer transfer outlay of £0 and an absence of communication from the club’s hierarchy had seen supporters openly criticise controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s running of the club.

Although, those fans will now be inclined to praise the work of Lai with The Athletic reporting that an initial fee of £7 million has been paid. 

Ismaël hailed Lai and fellow senior figures following the announcement, signalling that their December training ground meeting was a productive one.

“There’s a lot of teamwork that has gone into this deal and I would personally like to thank Mr Lai, Ken (Xu Ke), Ron Gourlay and Ian Pearce for making it happen so quickly. They have all worked very hard on the transfer.

“I’m delighted we have completed the transfer of Dike, he was always our first target and priority.”

With the MLS campaign finishing four weeks ago, Ismaël also suggested he will put the 22-year-old through rigorous training across the next couple of weeks in order to raise fitness levels.

“For sure, he needs time and the schedule for him is to work hard in the next two weeks, so he is ready to play a part against QPR. That is our target and now, with my staff, we will work to have a very, very good build up – using every day – to ensure he is in top shape by that game.”

The West Midlands outfit currently sit four points off the automatic promotion places and the expectation is that Dike’s goals will be crucial in a potentially instant return to the Premier League.

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