West Brom keen on signing Southampton striker

West Bromwich Albion have flown out of the traps when it comes to conducting their early summer transfer window business.

Already, the Baggies have clinched two signings for the first team next season in the Championship in Jimmy-Jay Morgan and Barney Stewart, with the pair enhancing the attacking options James Morrison has at his disposal.

Alongside going all out to improve their attack immediately, as Morrison eyes promotion to the Premier League, the capture of Carter Pinnington from Liverpool has also been sealed, with the future more in mind, as the young centre-back slots into the U21s.

Amazingly, despite securing this trio of signings early doors, more summer buys are anticipated, as Morrison continues to be backed in the market to try and finally lift the West Midlands side back into the big time.

West Brom very keen on another signing

It will be a tall order to immediately expect the rookie head coach to be a promotion-clinching manager, considering this is the Scotsman’s first-ever full-time gig.

But, if the signings keep coming through the door at this quick pace, the expectation at the Hawthorns from Baggies supporters will be that their beloved team is in and around the top six positions come next May, with Cameron Archer now reportedly on their radar.

Indeed, West Brom journalist Steve Tudgay, Archer is set to leave Southampton behind this off-season, with Morrison “very keen” on snapping up the unsettled striker.

It could be deemed a bit excessive on West Brom’s end to go after another attacker, with both Morgan and Stewart already on their books, but with the former Falkirk centre-forward’s lack of experience in the English game somewhat of a concern, the acquisition of the Walsall-born talent might well gift the Baggies an immediate upgrade.

Why Archer would be an upgrade on Stewart

This statement isn’t meant to dampen Stewart’s explosive goalscoring exploits for Falkirk, with the four-time Scotland U21 international powering home 12 of his 20 career goals to date, plying his trade at the Falkirk Stadium.

Still, it will be a learning curve for the 22-year-old jumping from the Scottish Premiership to the brutal demands of the Championship, with Morgan – who was exposed to League One action last season with Peterborough United – also requiring some patience from the Baggies faithful, as a promising 20-year-old.

Archer, on the other hand, will arrive with plenty of Championship experience already in his back pocket, with six Premier League strikes even under his belt.

While he has fallen down the pecking order in recent times at St. Mary’s, he still proved himself to be a lethal option in the Championship last season from limited minutes, with seven goal contributions collected, from only 996 minutes of action.

In total, the EFL hotshot has 22 goals and ten assists to shout about from 70 outings in the demanding division, with Archer more living up to his reputation for being a “fantastic” finisher that was handed to him by James Quinn, who coached the 24-year-old at Solihull Moors, in the second tier.

He has also performed well in a camp chasing promotion to the Premier League previously, with 11 goals collected from only 23 appearances for Middlesbrough during the 2022/23 season, which saw Boro reach the coveted playoffs.

Stewart just doesn’t have this same wealth of experience under his belt, with a striker of Archer’s quality to bounce off of, undoubtedly helping the raw Scotsman in his progression as an exciting attacking threat.

Stewart will hopefully go on to be a success in England, as he does arrive highly rated by Falkirk, having collected the accolade of Scottish Football Writers’ Association Young Player of the Year last season.

But, for more immediate results in a potential promotion race, securing Archer would be a phenomenal next purchase, as West Brom’s squad continues to be reshaped this summer to Morrison’s liking.