West Brom pursuing late move to seal a better signing than O’Leary

West Bromwich Albion are now finally off the mark under Eric Ramsay.

The opening two matches of the 34-year-old’s reign at the Hawthorns were turbulent to say the least, with eight goals shipped across two dismal Championship defeats.

Thankfully, a draw was collected away at Derby County to bring their dreadful run to a close, as Chris Mepham heroically equalised at the death to secure a 1-1 draw.

Hopefully, this will be the magic moment that kickstarts Ramsay’s time in charge of the Championship underperformers, with the January transfer window also still open for the Shrewsbury-born head coach to leave his mark on proceedings.

West Brom pursue deal for £13m star

Already, Ramsay has dipped his toes into the always unpredictable January market.

Off the back of a humiliating 5-0 loss at the hands of Norwich City, the Baggies welcomed Bristol City stalwart Max O’Leary into the building, but they might not be done there when it comes to their mid-season business.

Indeed, as per reports from Italy, West Brom are pursuing a deal for versatile Lazio midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who has previously called the EFL home with Sheffield Wednesday.

Finding himself in and out of the Lazio first team picture has opened up a possibility to return to English shores, with the Baggies noted to be looking for reinforcements that can help in their bid to jump up the league standings, away from succumbing to any potential relegation doom.

Recently judged to have a £13m valuation when being eyed up by Nottingham Forest, this could well prove to be a difficult move to seal, as we head towards the end of the bumper window.

But, if West Brom were to pull off a late swoop, snapping up Dele-Bashiru’s services could prove to be an even better deal than landing O’Leary to bolster their goalkeeping personnel.

Why Dele-Bashiru would be a better signing than O’Leary

Already, the Irishman has shown the West Brom masses why he had fallen down the Robins’ pecking order enough to be sold, with this drop of the ball away at Pride Park on his debut gifting a red-hot Patrick Agyemang the perfect opportunity to slot home his eighth second-tier strike of the season.

Thankfully, the rest of the script was kind to Ramsay’s visitors, as Mepham came to the rescue, but the worry will be now whether O’Leary is a clear upgrade on the likes of Joe Wildsmith or Joshua Griffiths, if those mistakes continue to be a problem moving forward.

Whereas, having been branded as a “special” talent by the media in Nigeria, the hope would be that Dele-Bashiru’s addition would be far more obvious from the get-go, with the 24-year-old collecting a standout 17 goal contributions plying his trade both in Turkish Super Lig with Besiktas, and in the Serie A with The White and Sky Blues.

Moreover, Dele-Bashiru’s adaptability to line up in various positions all across the pitch also makes him a worthwhile transfer to chase after, with his Lazio teammate, Boulaye Dia, hailing him as a star who “can do everything” when launched into a whole host of spots in a starting XI.

Away from clearly offering Ramsay a fresh, EFL-experienced option centrally who can compete with the likes of Alex Mowatt and Jayson Molumby, the flexible 24-year-old can even line up as a right back or a winger if needed, with Dele-Bashiru potentially proving to be a utility body worth having around, when the season enters into its pain-staking final weeks.

Also playing on some grand stages such as the Europa League, Dele-Bashiru entering the building might be seen as somewhat of a coup, with Sunderland previously interested last summer, as they went about constructing a Premier League-ready squad.

Of course, O’Leary will likely come good at his new home, considering he had kept a promising 23 clean sheets across his last two second-tier seasons, before relocating to the West Midlands.

But, if West Brom want to excite fans more, landing Dele-Bashiru could be viewed as a signing of even greater intent, as they aim to look up the Championship standings again, rather than depressingly down.

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