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With a new manager finally appointed West Brom can at last begin to make plans for next season.
Slaven Bilic was given the reins after three arduous months of searching came to an end and two of his former players have been linked with a switch to the Hawthorns.
Reece Oxford was touted with a potential move by The Telegraph, but now Football.London suggests that Sam Byram could also make the same journey – describing him as a ‘prime candidate’ to work under Bilic again.
The full-back was an efficient defender when at Leeds, where he won the Yorkshire Evening Post Player of the Year award, but after making a transfer to West Ham he’s had a torrid time with injuries.
Since signing for the Irons back in 2016 he’s not been afforded too much game time – making just 36 appearances for them since – and a chance of reviving his career on loan at Nottingham Forest last term didn’t go according to plan as he missed a considerable period out after undergoing knee surgery.
Given West Brom are lacking options at right-back Byram would clearly address a need, but should the Baggies be spending money on a player that’s as injury prone as the 25-year-old?
If he can put his injury history behind him then there’s plenty of reasons to suggest he’d be a brilliant capture for Albion. On the rare occasions he did play for Forest he looked decent enough whilst those who watched the Championship when he was with the Whites will be all too aware of his qualities.
However, what do a select group of Football FanCast writers make of a possible move to West Brom for Byram? Have a read below.
Billy Meyers
“With Mason Holgate returning to Everton after his loan spell, I think this would be a shrewd signing by Bilic and one that would reunite him with a player he knows well having worked with Byram at West Ham. The former Leeds right-back has shone in England’s second tier before, doing enough to catch the attention of Premier League clubs before his eventual move to the London Stadium. His tendency to get forward and support the attack – he has nine goals and 12 assists in 136 appearances in the division below the Premier League – would help soften the blow of losing Holgate and allow the Baggies to kick on from where they left off last term.”
Charles Jones “I’m not convinced Byram is a good signing for West Brom. The right-back showed so much promise earlier in his career, but none of that potential has been fulfilled. His last loan spell in the Championship was a bit of a disaster as he made just six league appearances for Nottingham Forest due to injury problems. Byram is by no means a bad player, but with the Baggies aiming for a return to the Premier League his injury record ultimately means his addition would be too risky. The Midlands club should steer clear.”Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…Harry Sherlock“Sources at West Ham have told me that a bid would be accepted for Byram if it were to be forthcoming and it is of little surprise. He is 25 and his career is in serious danger of stalling. Indeed, he has made just 36 appearances for the Hammers since arriving in 2016 but he could certainly do a job at Championship level provided he stays fit; he has racked up 136 games in the second-tier. He’d be a shrewd and low-cost addition for the new-look Baggies.”
