West Bromwich Albion‘s reputation as a Championship mainstay is under serious threat.
Amazingly, the Baggies haven’t called League One home since the 1992/93 campaign, with the West Midlands outfit usually flirting with the idea of the Premier League, instead.
Since nearly getting to the promised land under the reign of Carlos Corberan, however, the overall feel at the Hawthorns has been bleak, with new boss Eric Ramsay steering West Brom even further into the relegation mire, rather than helping to push the Baggies out of their current mess.
Ramsay will pray that he is given a fair chance to turn around the shambles, with one loan signing that entered the ranks towards the end of the bumper transfer window, potentially sticking out as West Brom’s next Harvey Barnes in the making.
West Brom’s unbelievable loan record
Staggeringly, Barnes – who is now a regular under Eddie Howe at Newcastle United – is just one notable name on a very long list when it comes to brilliant loanees West Brom have temporarily had on their books.
Crazily, before he fully bloomed into a Premier League goal machine on the books of Everton, Romelu Lukaku briefly called the West Midlands home, with a hefty 17 goals coming his way at the Hawthorns, during the 2012/13 season.
Alongside Lukaku, West Brom have also raided Chelsea for the likes of Tammy Abraham and Conor Gallagher in years gone by, before they properly made a name for themselves in England and beyond.
Heading back to Barnes, though, and he really was a bright spark for the Baggies, when the up-and-down side had to grow used to Championship football again, with a bumper nine goals and eight assists heading his way from 28 games during the 2018/19 season.
Pundit Noel Whelan would even go out of his way to state that the Burnley-born attacker was a “brilliant” watch during his short-lived loan stint, who looked destined for a long-term top-flight career. He certainly used his formative time in the second tier as a springboard, with a stunning 54 Premier League strikes now next to his name.
West Brom will pray history repeats itself, with Ramsay in dire need of some explosive attackers right now, who play in the same way as the gung-ho 28-year-old.
West Brom could have their next Barnes
Ramsay will know that he needs to turn around West Brom’s sliding fortunes, quickly, or he could face the sack.
Indeed, from his four games at the helm, only one meagre point has been collected. On top of that, his lacklustre troops have also only scored three strikes, while conceding an alarming 12.
This is where Hindolo Mustapha will be champing at the bit to make a Barnes-esque impression, having stood out as a “frightening” talent at youth level for Crystal Palace for some time now, as per the words of scout Antonio Mango.
Once upon a time, all Barnes knew was Premier League 2 action, before exploding into life donning Baggies blue and white. After his standout spell in the West Midlands, he would go on to be a Premier League regular with Leicester City, with the exciting 19-year-old perhaps the next in line to benefit from such a career progression.
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Mustapha’s Palace numbers |
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|---|---|---|
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Age bracket |
Games |
Goals + Assists |
|
U21s |
32 |
13 + 6 |
|
U18s |
32 |
5 + 12 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
||
Playing for both the Eagles at U21 and U18 level, Mustapha has clearly shown that he has all the makings of being a dangerous and enthralling attacker to watch at the Hawthorns, much like Barnes was all those years ago, with the Sierra Leone forward already up to a sublime 36 goals and assists on the youth pitches of South London.
Capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or as a winger, this added versatiity will further be a big draw as to why West Brom have gambled on the inexperienced teenager to come good, with Barnes also sticking out as a flexible talent when needed.
Picking up Palace’s PL2 Player of the Season accolade last season, the time does feel right for Mustapha to be unleashed onto the senior game to see what he’s made of.
Hopefully, for Ramsay and Co’s sake, he’s talked up as another memorable loanee when his time is done at West Brom, rather than being dismissed as a forgettable capture.
5 years after leaving, West Brom ace is better than Jimoh-Aloba & Mustapha
This star who left West Brom almost five years ago is now a bigger talent than the club’s two exciting signings.
