£5m West Brom star just showed why he won’t be starting next season

West Bromwich Albion secured their Championship status for another season, as they fought bravely to a 0-0 draw against promotion-chasing Ipswich Town.

Strangely, the Baggies had actually clinched survival in mid-week when comfortably overcoming Watford 3-0, but that was reversed after a long-awaited points deduction finally came into play.

Thankfully, the deduction was only two points, and off the back of a spirited draw with Kieran McKenna’s men on Saturday lunchtime, they won’t be slipping down to League One anytime soon.

All in all, it was a brave and determined display from the hard-done-by Baggies, with James Morrison an immensely popular figure in the dug-out, for spearheading such a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.

West Brom’s star performers as survival is confirmed

Morrison is now unbeaten across his last ten Championship games as West Brom’s stand-in boss, with his reputation as a living legend at the Hawthorns – which was already strong with his 341 games at the club as a midfielder – only solidified now by his managerial expertise.

Not conceding across their last five games, too, it was another fantastic showing from the likes of Danny Imray and Nat Phillips against the Tractor Boys, with five combined duels won by the commanding pairing.

Alongside Imray and Phillips, looking assured throughout the goalless affair, Alex Mowatt would further offer a calming presence centrally, with the ex-Leeds United midfielder winning four duels and only giving up the ball ten times to ensure Jack Taylor didn’t dominate proceedings for the visitors.

Truthfully, everyone donning Baggies blue and white were singing off the same hymn sheet during the hotly contested draw, as every West Brom shirt put in an admirable shift.

But, there will be question marks over whether the West Midlands giants should stick with this lukewarm attacker, heading into next season, with the expectation that West Brom will hopefully finish higher than their current 21st position.

West Brom star shouldn’t be starting next season

Historically, whenever West Brom have called the Championship home in recent years, they’ve been in the thick of a promotion battle.

Under Carlos Corberan, the Baggies very nearly moved up to the Premier League, with the 2023/24 season seeing the Spaniard’s well-drilled side heartbreakingly slip up in the playoff semi-finals.

They haven’t been in and around these positions since the 43-year-old deserted the Baggies mid-way through last campaign, but the hope will be that next season can be their chosen time to finally break back into the Premier League, with Morrison surely the frontrunner for the main manager’s gig.

The worry will be whether Aune Heggebo is cut out for the rigours of a potential promotion push, away from whoever occupies the dug-out, with the Nordic striker failing to really settle into the English game, ever since leaving Brann behind last summer on an almost £5m deal.

Indeed, he has only nine Championship goals next to his name from 45 league games this season, with the wasteful number 19 failing to hit a single on-target effort at the Ipswich goal on Saturday lunchtime.

Off the back of another goalless showing against the Suffolk outfit, Heggebo only has one goal across his last ten Championship clashes, with Josh Maja and Daryl Dike thankfully stepping up in recent matches to make up for the 24-year-old’s toothless performances.

Moreover, while he does work hard for the cause, he was bullied at points against McKenna’s away side, with only five of his 12 attempted duels successfully won.

West Brom could well have to be ruthless in the summer about whether Heggebo is a consistent starter moving forward, with the Baggies far more clinical in front of goal against Watford, as the 3-0 victory was secured with Maja and Dike as the chosen attacking duo.

Before anyone gets too carried away about what will occur in the off-season, West Brom have one final game of the Championship season left to tick off, as an away trip to Sheffield Wednesday will be an afternoon of relieved celebrations, rather than a nervy, relegation-deciding day out.