West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City, and Wrexham are three of the teams hoping to secure promotion out of the Championship by the end of this season.
Every team that wants to make it to the Premier League wants to have consistent and reliable attacking players who can deliver week-in-week-out across the campaign.
Aune Heggebo’s return of one non-handball goal in eight appearances this season suggests that he is not going to be a reliable figure in the number nine position.
The Baggies may have to turn to the transfer window in January to find a new striker, and they should follow in Norwich City’s footsteps in that respect.
How West Brom can copy Norwich’s transfer success
In January of this year, the Canaries needed a new number nine and went to Scandinavia to sign Mohamed Toure from Randers for an initial fee of £2.6m.
The Australia international scored 12 goals in 48 matches for the Danish club before his move to England, and he has since gone on to explode at Carrow Road over the past nine months.
Toure has scored 16 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for Norwich in 2026, including a return of five goals in the 2026/27 Championship campaign. Only Cyle Larin and Will Lankshear have outscored him this season.
|
Championship top scorers |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Goals |
|
Cyle Larin |
7 |
|
Will Lankshear |
6 |
|
Mohamed Toure |
5 |
|
Fer Lopez |
4 |
|
Jarrod Bowen |
4 |
|
Konstaninos Mavropanos |
4 |
|
Tyrecee Campbell |
4 |
|
Lyndon Dykes |
4 |
The Canaries were willing to look further afield to take a risk on a young player from Scandinavia and they have been rewarded for that risk, as he has scored 14 goals in 18 Championship matches so far.
West Brom, therefore, could copy Norwich’s success by looking further abroad to bolster their frontline instead of aiming to recruit experienced players who already know the Championship and have proven limitations.
West Brom must join race for Championship’s new Mohamed Toure
With Heggebo’s struggles in mind, the Baggies must join the race to sign a striker who is already being looked at by two of their Championship rivals.
According to OnTheMinute, Birmingham City and Wrexham are two of the clubs showing an interest in a deal to sign Djurgarden centre-forward Kristian Stromland Lien.
The summer transfer window only closed at the start of this month, but both teams are already looking at the striker as a potential signing for the January window to bolster their frontlines.
It adds that recruitment officials from the Blues and Ryan Reynolds’ side are assessing a potential move for the number nine, but it remains to be seen how much his club will demand for his services.
Morrison must, now, push the Baggies board to join Birmingham and Wrexham in the race to sign Lien in the January transfer window, because he has the potential to be the Championship’s new Mohamed Toure.
The Norwich star hit the ground running after joining midway through last season and the Norwegian striker’s form in 2026 suggests that he has the quality to follow in Toure’s footsteps in England.
|
2026 Allsvenskan |
Kristian Stromland Lien |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
22 |
|
Goals |
15 |
|
Conversion rate |
26% |
|
Minutes per goal |
122 |
|
Big chances created |
6 |
|
Assists |
4 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
38% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
41% |
Lien has already scored 15 goals in 22 matches in 2026 for Djurgardens, only missing 13 ‘big chances’, and has shown that he can provide creativity for his teammates with six ‘big chances’ created.
Heggebo, meanwhile, has only scored 11 goals in 53 appearances in the Championship for the Baggies since the start of last season, which suggests that the Allsvenskan star could be a significant upgrade for Morrison.
West Brom have failed to score more than one goal in each of their last six matches in the Championship, suggesting that they may need further reinforcements at the top end of the pitch by the time that the January window opens.
Morrison’s side have not scored multiple goals in a league game since they beat Burnley 3-1 and the signing of Lien could be the boost that they need in the final third.
Birmingham, Wrexham, and West Brom are all in need of a reliable number nine, as they chase promotion, and Lien’s form this year suggests that he could be that player.
Those teams have already seen the kind of impact that a striker can have after joining midway through the season, with Toure at Norwich, and the Norwegian star could be the Championship’s next version of the Canaries ace.
