West Bromwich Albion fans will hope their team is about to enter a very successful Championship campaign with promotion potentially awaiting them at the end.
The Baggies have experienced a lot of near misses in recent years, as the agony of the playoff lottery regularly struck them down, with a hope that the West Midlands side can finally return to the Premier League now, courtesy of Ryan Mason taking the second tier by storm as an unproven manager.
West Brom’s gamble on Carlos Corberan coming good did pay off, after he began his managerial adventure in England as a second in command at Leeds United.
Therefore, Mason might well be just what West Brom need to push back into the top-flight – after arriving from Tottenham Hotspur – with plenty of signings also still on the cards before September’s deadline to surely help him out.
West Brom weigh up move for PL youngster
West Brom have been relatively busy this summer so far with three new signings joining the building already, which includes ex-Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips moving to the Hawthorns in an impressive deal, on top of £4.7m being forked out on Brann goal machine Aune Heggebo.
The large amount splashed out on the promising Nordic attacker could mean the Baggies are shopping around for some bargains between now and the start of September, with Harry Toffolo reportedly on their shopping list as a shrewd, free agent acquisition.
Unfortunately for Mason and Co., it looks as if the ex-Forest full-back will be joining MLS outfit Charlotte FC instead, which only adds to the recent misery of Mikey Moore choosing to join Rangers on loan, over a reunion with his ex-Spurs coach in the Championship.
However, the Baggies can bounce back from this move going awry by picking up another promising Premier League youngster on loan in the form of Brighton and Hove Albion right-back Charlie Tasker.
Having scored in a recent friendly for the Seagulls, the time could be right for Tasker to spread his wings and develop elsewhere out on loan, with reports suggesting that West Brom are keen on landing the 19-year-old.
Birmingham Live journalist Charlie Haffenden has even suggested that a loan bid could be set to occur, with Tasker ready for a formative stint away from home with the best possible partner in Tom Fellows by his side.
Why Tasker is perfect for Fellows
Scanning Mason’s squad right now immediately tells you that there are issues in the right-back department.
Darnell Furlong is the only recognised right-back option in his entire camp, with Tasker ready to push the 29-year-old for a starting spot, to link up with Fellows to devastating effect.
After all, Furlong is just fresh off a weak season by his standards, donning Baggies blue and white, having collected just one goal in Championship action across the entire 2024/25 campaign. To put that into context, the ex-Queens Park Rangers man fired home a far heftier five league goals when at the peak of his powers during the 2023/24 season.
Therefore, the smart move by Mason could be to bring in a fresh and exciting option on the right to keep Furlong on his toes, with Tasker the perfect loan addition to make, when assessing the table below.
|
Tasker’s numbers for Brighton by position |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position played |
Games played |
Goals scored |
Assists |
|
RB |
30 |
4 |
2 |
|
CB |
24 |
0 |
0 |
|
RM |
5 |
1 |
1 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
|||
Indeed, across 59 appearances on the South Coast to date, the teenager has stood out as a forward-thinking option on the right flank, with eight goal contributions tallied up from those appearances for the Seagulls U18s and U21s.
This could gift West Brom even more of a spark down their dangerous right-hand side, with Fellows once a rising youngster – just like Tasker – before exploding into life in the senior scene at his boyhood club.
Fellows has never looked back since entering the first team picture in 2023, as seen in his mammoth four goals and 14 assists in Championship action last campaign.
Tasker could well mature a lot quicker having a player of such blistering quality next to him, with Fellows ready to take his game to the next level, too, partnered next to such an attack-minded defender.
Lauded as a “huge talent” for the future by his agent in Ned Ozkasim, on top of also being dubbed as having the mindset to play in the Premier League by Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, this could well be Tasker’s breakout moment, as he attempts to make a name for himself amid West Brom’s promotion push.
