West Brom need to beat Blackburn to sign 15-goal star

West Bromwich Albion made their first move of the summer transfer window earlier this week, confirming that Max O’Leary has signed a new three-year contract with the club.

The former Bristol City shot-stopper joined the Baggies on a short-term deal in the January transfer window, but his original contract was due to expire at the end of next month.

O’Leary is currently locked in at the Hawthorns until the summer of 2029 and could be manager James Morrison’s first choice for next season.

However, West Brom also need to add players to their squad at the other end of the pitch if they are to compete for promotion from the Championship next season.

The Baggies and Blackburn Rovers finished 21st and 20th respectively in the second tier this season, and both teams need to be on the market to increase their options in the final third in the summer transfer window.

Why West Brom and Blackburn need to improve their attacks

Both teams need to improve their attack power as they are among the five clubs who have scored the fewest goals in the Championship out of 46 games this season.

West Brom have scored just two more goals than they have played, while Rovers have only scored 42 goals in 46 games, with only Sheffield Wednesday scoring fewer goals.

The Baggies lived up to expectations at times, winning 3-0 against Morrison’s Watford, but they were unable to produce consistent performances at the top end of the pitch.

Oone Heggebo was the club’s top scorer in the Championship with nine goals, while Yuki Ohashi led Blackburn with 10 goals in 46 games.

These statistics show that both clubs will be looking to further improve their places in the final third before the summer transfer window closes in early September, having failed to find the back of the net often enough over the past nine months.

West Brom need to beat Blackburn to sign 15-goal centre-forward

The two teams in the Championship have already been linked with signing a new centre-forward who is even better than both Hegebo and Ohashi.

Lorient number nine Bamba Dieng is set to become a free agent at the end of June, with West Brom, Queens Park Rangers and Blackburn among his options ahead of the summer transfer window.

The 26-year-old striker, who is part of Senegal’s provisional squad for this summer’s World Cup, has had an excellent season in Ligue 1 with Lorient and could be a sensational signing for either the Baggies or Rovers.

His record of 10 goals in 15 starts in one of Europe’s major leagues is nothing to laugh at. He has had a great season with the French team and could be worthy of being included in Senegal’s World Cup squad if he makes the final selection.

Dieng started 15 games in Ligue 1, scoring nine goals in the Championship, more than Heggebo, who started 37 games and scored in English football’s second tier.

The Lorient marksman has scored five goals in three cup games in 2025/26, taking his tally to 15 goals in 25 games in all competitions. This means he has scored more goals than any player at Blackburn or West Brom.

Dieng has scored as many league goals as Ohashi, who also scored 10, but he is playing at a higher level in one of Europe’s major top leagues and has scored in 23 fewer starts than Japan’s number nine.

His form in Ligue 1 and Lorient’s cup games suggests he could be the goalscorer that Blackburn and West Brom sorely lacked in 2025-26 and could be the man to lead their promotion efforts next season.

At 26, Dieng should be in the prime of his career, meaning either the Baggies or Rovers could get a bargain on a free transfer, which is why Morrison must push to win the race for him.