🐦 Woodman Corner #5 - Albion's transfer window approach we've waited a decade for
As the transfer window rolls on, we take a look at what is close - including the expected signing of George Campbell - as Albion prepare for football in front of the fans again
Hello and welcome to edition #5 of Woodman Corner. I’m Joe Chapman, and I’m a lifelong Albion fan, previously a season ticket holder, who has covered the club for the Birmingham Mail. Thank you for tuning in.
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Big George
🌎 Albion are close to concluding their centre-half business with the impending addition of George Campbell from CF Montreal in MLS. The USMNT international, 24, is understood to be costing Albion up to £1m and will follow Nat Phillips into the club to beef up that department of Ryan Mason’s squad.
Albion also have Kyle Bartley, Torbjorn Heggem and Caleb Taylor on the books following the departure of Semi Ajayi in the summer; Bartley has a year left on his Albion deal while Taylor has already had three loan spells away and is facing an important summer in his career.
📚 You can read up a little on what to expect from Campbell by clicking here.
🎤 The defender himself has spoken about his career, adaptability and family life to the New Ground podcast earlier this year. Worth a listen - check it out here.
🔗 Interestingly, CF Montreal are also owned by Joey Saputo, the chairman of Bologna - somebody who has close ties to Bilkul and in particular Andrew Nestor.
🗺 Generally speaking, this casting of the net further afield is refreshing. Be it Heggem, be it Bany, be it Price, be it Heggebo - now Campbell - Albion are cranking back into gear on the global front, for the first time since before Tony Pulis bar one or two exceptions - Rondon, Hegazi, Pereira, etc.
It’s a consistent League Of Nations approach which has been lacking for the years prior to Bilkul’s takeover when recruitment was almost exclusively domestic. They won’t always pay off - Frabotta, Racic - but there’s value to be had abroad, as this club has a great reputation for proving. 👏
📣 Your weekly Albion round-up
🤝 Albion, fresh from their victory over Port Vale, held Champions League outfit Dynamo Kyiv 1-1 as they concluded their pre-season training camp in Austria. Newbie Nat Phillips demonstrated his aerial prowess by powering home a header - hopefully a sign of things to come, for the Baggies have lacked a certain something from set-pieces in recent times.
🗣 It’s fast becoming the biggest ✨saga✨ of a transfer which didn’t even materialise since Peter Odemwingie. A little more, here, on the move to Flamengo which never was for winger Mikey Johnston who, for the record, is looking forward to the new season. That hasn’t stopped Flamengo president Bap from giving his two penneth to GE Globo about why the move fell down.
⮑ “He may be a great athlete, a great professional, but for Flamengo's needs, at this moment, in my opinion, he wasn't ideal. That's my job, that's being a professional, regardless of other people's opinions.”
📈 How everyone associated with Albion would love Daryl Dike to blow Championship defences away over a sustained period in this coming season. Hopefully with what is currently a pleasant balance of options in the front-line, Dike need only be ready when Ryan Mason calls upon him. Out in Austria last week, Lewis Cox of the Express and Star spoke to Director of Medical Tony Strudwick on the striker’s latest rehabilitation journey [🚨 paywall warning 🔒]
👶 Albion youngster Caleb Taylor is as eager as he ever has been to play regular football for the club. He spent a full season - interrupted by a January recall - at League One Wycombe last season, in which they came close to promotion. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said…
⮑ “I'm just going to try my best, work hard, and hopefully play. I have done three loans and I feel like I am ready. I have played over 100 games in league football, I have the experience, I believe in my capability to play here so I am really going to push this season and try to break through to become a regular first team player."
🏃♂️ In the wake of John Swift completing a move to Championship rivals Portsmouth this past week, fellow free agent Grady Diangana is hard at work keeping his own personal fitness in good nick as those who work on behalf of him identify his next club. He shared some snaps of himself on Instagram 👇
📅 Saturday 6th September - Albion will host a Hawthorns anniversary Clash of the Legends: Home Nations v Rest of the World. The club have confirmed this week that they will welcome back plenty of famous faces to the Black Country during the first international break of the season, including Chris Brunt, Robert Earnshaw, Nigel Quashie, Robert Koren, Claudio Yacob and Youssouf Mulumbu. Well, that has me feeling sentimental. 🥰
Tickets cost £12.50 for adults and £5 for under 16s, with all money raised going to the Albion Foundation. All the details you need, including buying tickets, can be found here.
🎨 The Albion Foundation’s Blind Dave Heeley Colour Run, which takes place every year, was hosted on Saturday - and more people than ever before participated in the event. Over 500 people from the Black Country and beyond attended the run in West Bromwich, where they could run or walk 3k or 5k. Said Dave to wba.co.uk…
"It's been the best yet. There's over 500 people here today and everyone's here, from ladies, kids, fast runners, slow runners, walkers - everyone's covered in colour.
"The weather has made the day too. It's been fantastic, here's to next year, everyone's supporting the Foundation and that's what it's all about."
👕 Albion have released their striking new goalkeeper kits for the 2025/26 season. Can’t miss them in those. Bold indeed.
🎧 Ben Foster has been speaking on the Fozcast this week about an unnamed former Albion manager who, in his words, ‘fully lost the dressing room’. Pepe Mel? Alan Pardew? I mean, it has to be one or the other really, doesn’t it…
I’ve been in one where they fully lost it. When a new manager comes in, whether you like the guy, dislike him, agree with his style of play - you *have to* try and get on board. If you don’t, you’re done. At the time we were struggling really badly, and we did get on board - but it just didn’t work.”
Blasts from the past
Each week - and particularly at this time of the year with the transfer window open - we’ll check in with Albion players from the past, and their movements.
🔀 Former Albion striker Salomon Rondon has returned to Europe, in the wake of his Club World Cup exploits with Pachuca. Rondon is now 35 but still firing and he has now joined La Liga side Real Oviedo, who have just been promoted back to the top flight. He joins Santi Cazorla at the club. Make sure to remind him about that penalty miss, king.
🤝 Former Albion loanee Mason Holgate has been pictured visiting Qatar Stars League club Al-Gharafa after leaving Everton at the end of his contract. The Jamaican international has played 50 games for Albion spanning two spells but was never coming back this summer.
🏆 He’s come a long way since that play-off penalty shoot-out heartache in 2019. Tosin Adarabioyo is a world champion, having helped Chelsea to claim the Club World Cup in the States this past week. The defender played 36 times when borrowed from Man City in 2018-19, and although an unused sub in the final against PSG on Sunday, he had played four times in the competition.
⚖ Another Albion loanee with Chelsea links - Conor Gallagher, who has been in Spain for a year with Atletico Madrid, is wanted by both Aston Villa and Newcastle United. One can offer Champions League football. One cannot. [Caught Offside]
✍ The story of Andy Carroll continues. As Woodman Corner touched on a couple of editions ago, the striker was returning to the UK for family reasons having spent time in France with Amiens and Bordeaux. He has signed for non-league side Dagenham and Redbridge *raises eyebrows* and played for the first time in a 5-1 friendly defeat to Crawley Town on Tuesday.
👑 Playing Ipswich Town - or West Bromipswich Albion, as some creative Baggies pointed out this week - this season will be like looking in the mirror. Go get the SpiderMen emoji. Alex Palmer…David Button…Dara O’Shea…Conor Townsend…Cedric Kipre. The Albion favourite has joined the Tractor Boys on loan for the season from Reims after a single season in Ligue 1.
🏐 Former loanee Scott Sinclair - who is now 36 - is on trial with League Two Swindon Town after leaving Bristol Rovers. Sinclair played 11 times for Albion on loan from Manchester City in 2013/14.
The transfer column
💸 K-League hotshot Jeon Jin-woo is of interest to Albion - but a deal may be hard to complete. The South Korean international has scored 12 goals and produced three assists in 20 appearances for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors so far in their season. Impressive numbers.
The problem is that the K-League’s transfer window closes on the 24th of this month, giving them limited time to replace a crucial player in their side. Albion are indeed after a winger after Grady Diangana left the club at the end of the season but may need to look elsewhere.
A Jeonbuk official, as quoted by IMBC, said..
"West Bromwich Albion recently sent an official offer to recruit Jeon Jin-woo. Other clubs, including teams in the Belgian league, have also shown interest in recruiting Jeon Jin-woo. We are also considering that there is not much time left to recruit a replacement, as the K League transfer market ends on the 24th."
👩 Albion Women have announced the signing of former Solihull Moors centre half Zoe Creaney. The 28-year-old said…
"I think I can help bring leadership and composure. I’m confident in my defending, dominant in the air, and comfortable playing out from the back.
"I’m here to be part of a team that works hard for each other and represents the club with pride."
🍝 Youngster Divine Onyemachi has moved to Italy, and Lecce, after deciding against extending his stay at Albion. Lecce listed him in their under 21 squad for their pre-season retreat to Crotone, which begins on Thursday. Onyemachi had the opportunity to remain with Albion but had elected to head out onto the continent. [uslecce.it]
🤑 Interest remains in Albion winger Tom Fellows, who has two years remaining on his existing contract. The England under 21 international, fresh from winning the Euros, was in Austria with the Baggies and is all set for the pre-season campaign. Everton have a longstanding interest, but Fellows would command a nice wedge. [SportsBoom]
The Albion community bulletin
Shropshire Baggies will host their first ever meeting on Tuesday 5 August, in the week leading up to the first game of the season - and they’ll have some extra special guests in tow. It’s been confirmed that legendary pair Ally Robertson and Tony Brown will be in attendance. Doors open at 7pm at Maddocks Sport and Social Club (TF2 6BU) for a 7:30pm start.
Meanwhile, another supporters’ club branch, Warwick Baggies, will host Sir Gary Megson at their meeting at Whitnash Sports & Social Club in Leamington Spa on Thursday 7 August. [Warwick Baggies]
On Friday of this week, Albion fan Spiro Marcetic is joining with the Albion Foundation to trek up Mount Snowdon. It’s nine miles, and over 3,500 feet above ground level. Details - and an opportunity to donate to the fundraiser - of the Summit Special Charity Trek can be found here.
On Saturday, Albion supporter Piero Zizzi will be heading all the way out to Malindi in Kenya as a part of the Inspire Afrika charity, created by Baggies fans in 2017. Monies raised on this venture will go towards building a kitchen in order to feed schoolkids who are otherwise going without. You can read up on the trip and donate here.
What to look out for this week
🏐 Albion back playing in front of fans. Aah, it’s been a while. Though we have the clips of performances against Port Vale and Dynamo Kyiv to go off thus far, Albion’s friendly campaign with the gates open gets underway this Saturday. They’ll head to Blackpool and visit old boss Steve Bruce at Bloomfield Road for a 3pm kick off.
About Woodman Corner
🐦 This is Woodman Corner, your one-stop shop for all things Albion. I’m Joe Chapman, an Albion supporter who has followed the club as a fan for 25 years but also previously as a local reporter for five years. Like what you read? Please consider subscribing.
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Thank you for reading edition #5.
Very happy with this signing Joey,Young and motivated.unless we sell a defender I’m more than happy with both our defence and attacking strength. Hopefully we are looking for creativity in midfield and another winger if we lose one of Fellows Grant or Johnston.