West Bromwich Albion

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Hartlepool United have completed the loan signing of teenage midfielder Cole Deeming from West Bromwich Albion.

Deeming, 19, will be on loan at Pools until 2 January, 2027 and is available for the home match against Woking on Saturday (15:00 BST).

He has played once for his parent club and spent last season on loan with Truro City in the National League and then Cheltenham Town in League Two.

"We're delighted to sign Cole," said Hartlepool head coach Lee Clark.

"He's someone we've had an eye on for a while, and we've seen how well he did at Cheltenham.

"He's also gained experience in this league with Truro, and the staff at West Brom speak really highly of him."

Chris Hall
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The old saying tells us that patience is a virtue but, unfortunately, it's something that is often in short supply in football.

There's often very little time or thought given to building something long-term, especially if doing so could come at the expense of immediate success.

However, Albion have bucked that trend this summer.

The Throstles signed nine senior outfield players during the transfer window.

Of those nine, seven were 23 or younger, five were signed from outside the UK, and seven had not played in the Championship before.

Albion's ownership did exactly what they said they would do.

In an open letter to fans on 26 June, chairman Shilen Patel said, "We aim to build a squad of dynamic, hard-working, and well-coached players with an emphasis on talent we believe will grow in their time with us.

"When we look at our most successful recruitment, there are clear commonalities and they have nothing to do with how much we spent to bring the player here."

The Baggies could have approached the window in a similar manner to many of their competitors, paying inflated prices for proven Championship talents.

Wrexham were accused by Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder last week of "blanket bombing", Albion's approach was the antithesis of that, remaining laser-focused and refusing to deviate.

That meant that if the right deal didn't come up, Albion didn't compromise.

This meant that the Baggies didn't fill certain positions in the squad they perhaps would have liked to, but the players that did come in were largely young and exciting.

However, with so much youth and so many players recruited from abroad, there is a need for patience.

Albion started the season superbly with two wins from two.

But, with one point from the past two games, there have been calls for more of the new players to be blooded.

The scintillating early season form of new boy Jimmy-Jay Morgan probably raised expectations that the other new signings could do the same, and Rabby Nzingoula's thrilling second half showing on Wednesday night will have furthered that feeling.

Others, however, may need a softer launch

Kareem Tunde excited at Middlesbrough off the bench but struggled a little in a first start on Wednesday, while Albion's new striker Barney Stewart is clearly being eased into Championship life with just 21 minutes in the league so far.

The Scotland U21 international has enjoyed an incredible rise since leaving university football in 2024, but this is the biggest leap he's made to date, and he will probably need time to adapt

Felix Horn Myhre and Nolan Galves are the two who have been thrown straight into the starting XI, but both inclusions were somewhat enforced.

Galves was the only senior right-back option prior to the deadline day signing of Brayann Pereira, while Myhre was given an opening day start due to the sale of Alex Mowatt 48 hours prior, and then continued due to the subsequent suspension and illness of Aune Heggebo.

You would imagine that Morrison would, ideally, have liked two players new to the division to have had a more gradual introduction to it.

Albion's entire strategy over the summer was to sign players with a view to the future, but the consequence of this is that we are likely to see the best of our new assets in time.

After being the oldest squad in the league a mere three-years ago, Bilkul have done an incredible job of turning Albion into a team awash with young, hungry players in a handful of windows.

I believe that hard work will pay off, but we might have to be a bit patient before we truly reap the benefits.

Listen to more from Chris Hall at the Albion Analysis, external

West Bromwich Albion left-back Callum Styles has said he has taken on more of a leadership role in the side after the departures of several experienced players and the arrival of younger talent during the summer transfer window.

Seven new arrivals at The Hawthorns were aged 23 or younger, while three players aged over 30 made their exits this summer alongside Karlan Grant and Kristian Bielik, both 28, and 27-year-old Josh Maja.

The plan to bring more youth into the team means Styles, 26, is one of the older members of the squad.

"I think that's natural [to step into leadership] when you've played a lot of games in the Championship and you're getting older season by season," Styles told BBC Radio WM.

"Quite a few of us that were here last year feel like it's our role to then get the new lads adjusted to the league, to the team and to the physicality as quickly as possible.

"We've got to show that through us working hard ourselves and then obviously helping them off the pitch."

Watch the interview above or listen on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

West Bromwich Albion have invested in young talent over the summer and while BBC Radio WM's Steve Hermon thinks it is "the right way to go" for the Baggies' long-term goal of returning to the top tier, he stresses that some particularly gifted individuals may not be here to stay.

"The most important thing to stress is the ultimate aim is the Premier League but there will be players that come and go," Hermon said.

"If Albion don't go up this season, which people aren't expecting to happen, they will have people coming for Isaac Price.

"Isaac Price will be a Premier League player in the future but, crucially, they will make a hell of a lot more money than they paid for him from Standard Liege 18 months ago."

Listen to the full analysis on Albion's transfer window below or on BBC Sounds here.

After a winning start to the season, Watford have failed to take victory in their past three Championship games and will be hoping to do at the Hawthorns on Saturday (15:00 BST).

West Bromwich Albion are winless across their past two and will be seeking a win of their own to keep them in the upper half of the table.

• After their 3-0 win in April, West Brom are looking for back-to-back league victories over Watford for the first time since November 2007 (3 in a row).

• Watford have lost both of their last two away league games at West Brom, only losing three in a row at the Baggies once before (Oct 1983 to Dec 1985).

• West Brom are unbeaten in each of their last nine home league games (W3 D6), and could start a campaign unbeaten in three at home for the ninth time across their last 12 Championship seasons.

• Watford have won just one of their last 12 league games (D4 L7), a 2-1 victory over Southampton on MD1 this season.

• Only Wolves' Mateus Mané (24) has attempted more dribbles in the Championship so far this season than Watford duo Iker Bravo and Othmane Maamma (19 each).

Steve Hermon
BBC Radio WM's West Bromwich Albion commentator

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Albion's transfer activity in this window might fly under the radar compared to other clubs, but a methodical and purposeful approach is starting to become clearer.

Some very experienced but also well-paid talent left at the end of last season.

Club captain Jed Wallace, Josh Maja, Daryl Dike and Karlan Grant all departed after their contracts expired, while Alex Mowatt and Krystian Bielik were sold to Championship rivals Derby and Cardiff respectively in recent weeks. They amassed almost 2,000 appearances in the second tier between them.

They've been replaced by 10 players whose pockets aren't as heavy but they are largely much younger and extremely hungry to reach their potential.

Jimmy-Jay Morgan will no doubt be a Premier League player in the future, while people are purring behind the scenes at what they've seen from French midfielder Rabby Nzingoula. Both are just 20 years old, and, at 21, Spanish winger Kareem Tunde has already mixed it in La Liga with Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe.

Toby Collyer, himself just 22, has also been backed to return to the top flight one day after leaving Manchester United for The Hawthorns.

The one concern is not necessarily the age, but the fact that six of the new arrivals had not tasted English football before signing for the Baggies. We'll find out soon enough how they fare during this hard slog of a season.

Experience was at least added in goalkeeper Matt Ingram, who is back-up to the very able Max O'Leary, while 33-year-old Conor Townsend returned to the club as defensive cover.

Ironically, Townsend was one of six players over the age of 28 who started their play-off semi-final defeat in May 2024 at Southampton, which is where this rebuild quietly began just three months after owners Bilkul took over the then financially stricken club.

Since then, they've had to sell some top talent, deal with a points deduction for breaching EFL financial rules and adapt to life without Premier League parachute payments. But the issues that inspired the new strategy are in the rear-view mirror.

There may be disappointment from fans that they didn't add a fourth striker on deadline day, but rather than panic, the club has stuck to the wider plan and not bought for the sake of it.

The Throstles identified options earlier in the window and that included former Villa frontman Cameron Archer, but I understand they weren't willing to undo the hard work they've undertaken by matching his large wages at Southampton.

The only arrival on the final day was right-sided defender Brayann Pereira from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen. Crucially, nobody left that the Baggies didn't want to part company with.

From one of the oldest squads, and biggest wage bills, in the division three years ago, West Bromwich Albion now has a lean line-up in terms of numbers, but an average age of under 25, and they are being guided by the perfect person.

By head coach standards, James Morrison is also a 'bairn' as the Darlington native might say.

The 40-year-old is softly spoken, but honest, and you can tell he has the same drive and desire to succeed as a boss that he had as an Albion player. You don't make more than 300 Premier League appearances and represent your country on 46 occasions without that in your DNA.

The ultimate aim of the club is, of course, to return to the Premier League, but patience is still key.

Some of the talent that's been recruited may move on before that ambition is achieved, but it will be for a much higher fee than they paid.

Most importantly Albion now have more control over the process and the recruitment team behind the scenes will have one eye on the next batch of prospects for Morrison to mould.

Image source, Getty Images

Transfer deadline day is upon us and today is the final chance for your EFL club to finalise any business until January.

The transfer window closes at 23:00 BST, so we might have some late night scrambles to get deals over the line.

There has already been plenty of movement this summer and whether it's a busy or quiet day for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.

Follow our EFL deadline day live text coverage throughout the day here

Get alerts and keep up to date with all the latest news, insight and fan views for your club

West Brom manager James Morrison felt the timing of Middlesbrough's goals was a huge factor in his side's 3-1 defeat.

The Baggies were on top for much of a goalless first half, but Boro were better after the interval.

"I think for large spells of the game we were in control. We had the better share of the first half without really creating too many clear opportunities," Morrison told BBC Radio WM.

"I was quite happy going in at half-time, but the timing of the goals — we've got to be better than that. The goals came too easily, even though they were offside. I think the linesman's got to do a better job.

"Overall I thought the performance was good. I think the crowd were getting frustrated - we were finding the spare men a lot and taking the ball in, which you have to do when you come to places like this."

Image source, PA Media

West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison is "hopeful" of more signings before the end of the transfer window, with the Championship club close to confirming a deal for Manchester United midfielder Toby Collyer.

The Baggies have been in talks with United about re-signing the midfielder after his loan spell during the first half of last season and are now set to seal a deal worth up to £7.6m.

Meanwhile, Morrison has been casting an eye over recent signing Kareem Tunde following the Spanish winger's arrival from Levante this week.

"It's a big opportunity for him, coming to a new culture, still only being 21," Morrison told BBC Radio WM. "He's an exciting prospect and an exciting player, so we're delighted to have him.

"It just gives us different options now and I felt like we've always missed that little bit in games where we could stretch our opposition and he's got that pace and power that we've been looking for."

With Tunde the eighth new arrival this summer, Morrison does not want to stop there before the 1 September deadline.

"I am hopeful," he said. "There's been a lot of hard work been going on behind the scenes. We have to do things a little bit differently, we have to be clever about it and I felt that we've been doing that because we've had a lot of signings."

Morrison is adding the finishing touches to his squad that has made an excellent start to the new Championship season, with two wins from their first two games.

Last season's beaten play-off finalists Middlesbrough are next on Saturday and Morrison says going back to his hometown club, where he started his career, is always an occasion to be savoured rather than feel overly nostalgic about.

"I've been back many times and played, so I'm over that," he said.

"I can remember my first one going back and I was all over the place, I was terrible. So I learnt from that experience.

"I think my last time there as a player, I ended up scoring and I still remember that feeling. So I'm really looking forward to the game, but also I know this is going to be one of the toughest away fixtures we'll face.

"But they've [the Albion players] set a standard now and they can't let it drop."

West Bromwich Albion are confident of signing midfielder Toby Collyer on a permanent deal from Manchester United. The 22-year-old spent part of last season on loan at The Hawthorns. (The Sun), external

Find more of Friday's EFL gossip here.

Jonny Drury
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

We've been here before only 12 months ago.

Albion with a flying start to the campaign, winning games and getting points on the board early.

In fact it has been the case for the past three seasons, under both Carlos Corberan and Ryan Mason.

It is happening again under James Morrison, with two league wins, a cup victory and a battling display at Newcastle United on Wednesday evening.

It is a start not many fans could have envisaged at the end of last season.

Among many it will very much be a case of keeping feet well and truly on the ground. We can't forget that Albion flew out of the traps last season - only to be sucked into a relegation battle.

Despite there quite rightly being a mindset of not getting too carried away, we've already seen something very different about this Morrison side.

Adaptability, and the ability Morrison and his side seem to have in terms of not being one dimensional.

In both league games and the Newcastle trip, they have shown that they can sit in, soak it up, be hard to beat.

On the other hand, they've shown they can dominate the ball with purpose and create chances, like they did in their superb victory over Burnley.

And they have also displayed that they have the quality to hurt teams on the counter attack, like they did against Norwich and at times up at Newcastle.

Under previous managers, they have been too one dimensional, accused of not being able to a show a plan B or C.

In this small sample size, we have already seen Morrison and his charges are able to do that.

Albion fans know not to get carried away given what has gone on before - but although this terrific start is a throwback to recent seasons, something seems a bit different under Morrison.

West Brom are hoping to make it three wins from three at the start of a league season for the first time in 29 years when they visit Middlesbrough on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Boro went down 2-1 at Blackburn last weekend having opened the season with a victory over Lincoln City by the same scoreline.

• Middlesbrough have won each of their past five league games against West Bromwich Albion and are only on a longer active winning streak in the Football League against Bolton Wanderers (8) and Birmingham City (7).

• West Bromwich Albion have won just three of their past 28 away league matches against Middlesbrough (D7 L18), going winless in five (D1 L4) since a 1-0 victory in October 2019.

• Middlesbrough have won each of their past three home league games in succession after defeating Lincoln 2-1 on the opening day, Boro last enjoyed a longer winning run at the Riverside Stadium between December 2022 and March 2023 (seven wins).

• After defeating Norwich City and Burnley so far, West Brom will be hoping to win their opening three matches of a league campaign for the first time since 1997-98.

• Across the opening two matchdays of the 2026-27 Championship season, West Brom's Jimmy-Jay Morgan is the only player to record multiple assists (2), while across all competitions his five goal contributions in total (three goals, two assists) are the most of any Championship player.