West Brom could beat Blackburn to signing their best talent since Lukaku

West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison is set to embark on his first-ever summer transfer window as a manager now that the Championship season is over.

The Scottish tactician guided the Baggies clear of the relegation zone to earn the permanent job at The Hawthorns, and now must show that he can oversee a successful transfer window.

What Morrison does have going for him is that he was a vastly experienced player with the club and knows what it takes to succeed as a player in both the Championship and the Premier League.

During his 12-year stint as a player at West Brom, the former Scotland international played alongside some terrific players, particularly in the Premier League.

The biggest talent, without a shadow of a doubt, that he played alongside as a player was centre-forward Romelu Lukaku, who spent the 2012/13 campaign on loan from Chelsea.

What West Brom said about keeping Romelu Lukaku

The Belgian striker scored 17 goals in 38 matches on loan at The Hawthorns that season, whilst Morrison scored five goals and provided five assists for the club in the Premier League that term.

Speaking in February 2013, West Brom boss Steve Clarke suggested that the club had a good chance to sign the Belgium international on loan for another season.

He said: “If Chelsea want to leave him out for another season somewhere I think we would have a strong chance of getting him back here, but it is a discussion for the summer.”

It did not work out for the Baggies, though, because Chelsea decided to give him a chance at the start of the following season, before loaning him out to Everton deadline day.

Lukaku then signed for the Toffees for £28m in 2014 and the rest, they say, is history as he has gone on to become one of Europe’s most consistent goalscorers for a plethora of clubs.

It is fair to say, therefore, that the Napoli star is the best player to have played for the Baggies since 2012, and Morrison now has the chance to sign the club’s biggest talent since the Belgian ace.

West Brom could sign their biggest talent since Romelu Lukaku

SportsBoom recently reported that West Brom and Blackburn Rovers are both seriously considering a move to sign Dele Alli, who could be the highest-profile player at The Hawthorns since Lukaku.

The attacking midfielder has been without a club since he left Como in September 2025, which means that the Baggies could snap him up on a free transfer ahead of next season.

Alli would be West Brom’s biggest talent since Lukaku because he has had a terrific career, despite some struggles in recent years, with a return of 67 goals and 59 assists in 269 appearances during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

The 30-year-old attacker, who only scored two fewer league goals for Spurs than Gareth Bale, also earned 37 caps for England and scored three goals.

No West Brom player since Lukaku left in 2013 has played more games for England and no Baggies midfielder has scored more goals in the Premier League than Alli has in his career, which speaks to the talent that he has.

The experienced midfielder would, therefore, arrive at The Hawthorns with a reputation that no other player has joined with in the past decade or so, due to his achievements for Spurs and England in the past.

However, it would be a risky move by the Baggies because Alli has only played one competitive game in the past two seasons and his last goal in English football was in the 2021/22 campaign.

The upside, though, is huge because he is a player who has previously been good enough to star in a Champions League team and start for England in major tournaments.

That is why West Brom must push to beat Blackburn to his signature in the summer in the hope that Morrison, who was also a goalscoring midfielder in his playing days, can get Alli back to his best on the pitch.