West Brom could sign a bigger talent than Morgan ahead of Birmingham City

West Bromwich Albion kicked off their 2026/27 campaign with a 4-1 win away from home against Rotherham in the League Cup on Saturday.

James Morrison picked off where he left off last season with an impressive win against the League Two outfit, thanks to two goals from Jimmy-Jay Morgan, one from Felix Horn Myhre, and one from Harry Whitwell.

The Baggies will now turn their attention to their first Championship game of the campaign against Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday, as they look to start their league season with a win.

Morgan, signed from Chelsea on a permanent deal, will be hoping to have as big of an impact against the Canaries as he had against the Millers last weekend.

The concern for West Brom with Jimmy-Jay Morgan

The 20-year-old forward, who can play as a striker or as a number ten, scored two goals on his competitive debut against Rotherham, but the Baggies already know that he can be effective against that level of opposition.

Morgan arrived at The Hawthorns this summer off the back of an impressive season on loan with Peterborough United in League One, where he showed that he was good enough to make a consistent impact in the third tier.

The young attacker delivered goals on a regular basis, outperforming his xG, for the Posh in League One last term, but he was not a consistent creator.

Morgan only assisted three goals in 34 games last season and the concern for West Brom may be that he struggles to offer much in the way of creativity in the Championship, which is also a league that he is unproven in as a goalscorer.

Morrison may, therefore, want to add further attacking quality to his side before the end of the summer transfer window to ensure that he has plenty of options at his disposal if some players fail to live up to expectations.

West Brom can beat Birmingham to bigger talent than Morgan

The Baggies have been linked to plenty of other attackers throughout the summer, and there is one star who would arrive at the club as an even bigger talent than Morgan.

It was reported earlier in the window that West Bromwich Albion are one of a number of teams interested in signing Reyes Cleary from League One side Barnsley on a permanent deal.

They were not the only Championship side said to be interested in the English winger, though, as local rivals Birmingham City have also shown an interest in the young forward, as they look to bolster their squad.

Barnsley’s asking price at the time was said to be around £3m for the 22-year-old wide man, who only left West Brom to sign for the third tier outfit last year.

The left-sided attacker was sold by the Baggies last year after he failed to make the grade under Tony Mowbray or Ryan Mason, and that has turned out to be a poor decision by the club.

12 months later, the youngster is valued at £3m and his performances for Barnsley in the 2025/26 campaign suggest that he is an even bigger talent than summer signing Jimmy-Jay Morgan.

Both players starred in League One for their respective teams last season and it was Cleary who came out on top with 20 goal contributions in 30 starts, five more than Morgan managed in two more starts.

These statistics suggest that the former Baggies academy star could be a consistent contributor as both a scorer and a creator of goals from the flank, outperforming his xG and thriving as a creator.

Whereas, Morgan shined as a goalscorer and did not offer as much creativity as the Barnsley star, which means that the latter could be an even bigger talent at the top end of the pitch for Morrison.

The 22-year-old has also started the current campaign in impressive fashion. He completed three dribbles, created two chances, and provided one assist in a win over Wigan in the League Cup.

Therefore, West Brom should be pushing to secure a deal to bring him back to the club in the summer transfer window, before their rivals Birmingham have an opportunity to swoop for him first.

He has the quality and potential to be a fantastic addition to the squad as a more exciting talent than Morgan with his attacking ability, and could be a bargain signing for £3m, if they can beat the Blues to his services.