West Brom & Middlesbrough hit gold on 23-goal stars

West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough were both dealt a possible blow when Lewis Dobbin officially completed a transfer elsewhere on Wednesday.

Championship rivals Southampton confirmed the signing of the English winger from Premier League side Aston Villa for an initial fee of £9m to bolster their attack.

The Baggies were urged to pursue the 23-year-old forward earlier in the window when it was revealed that Boro were one of the teams hoping to sign him from the Villans.

West Brom, of course, once had the Englishman on their books when they had him on loan from Aston Villa in the first half of the 2024/25 Championship season, but he failed to score a single goal.

Where Dobbin would have fit in at West Brom or Middlesbrough

The former Baggies loanee would have been an excellent addition to James Morrison’s squad as a left-sided winger, as none of the club’s natural wide players scored more than two goals in the Championship last season.

Dobbin, who can play on either flank or through the middle, scored ten goals in the league for Preston North End on loan last term and would have provided West Brom with the goal threat that they lacked out wide last term.

At Middlesbrough, meanwhile, he could have been an interesting option as a striker for Kim Hellberg, as none of his number nines hit double figures for goals.

Dobbin often played as a second striker or centre-forward for Preston at Deepdale and could have played in a central role for Boro, because they already have Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway who hit double figures for goals in the wide areas.

Whilst missing out on a deal for the £9m-rated star looks like a blow on paper, both teams already have exciting attackers who are worth even more than him.

West Brom and Middlesbrough stars are worth more than Dobbin

The Baggies and Boro will both be aiming to earn promotion out of the Championship next season, and they will need their forward players to prove their worth, so that they do not go on to regret missing out on Dobbin.

At The Hawthorns, Isaac Price is currently valued at £10m by Transfermarkt, which is significantly more than the £2.5m that they once paid to sign him from Standard Liege in January 2025.

The Northern Ireland international had his breakthrough season from an attacking perspective in the 2025/26 campaign, as he caught the eye as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Morrison’s side.

Price hit double figures for goal contributions in the Championship and deserved more assists than he racked up, as his teammates failed to make the most of his creativity at the top end of the pitch.

The 22-year-old star may not have scored as many goals as Dobbin, who scored ten times, but he is a year younger than the Englishman and is worth even more than the £9m fee that Southampton paid.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough winger Morgan Whittaker is valued at £15m by Transfermarkt, £5m more than West Brom’s most valuable player, Price, and £6m more than Dobbin.

The former Swansea City attacker was also the best performer out of the three attackers in the Championship in the 2025/26 campaign, as he scored 14 goals and provided seven assists for Boro.

His impressive output in the final third in the second tier suggests that he deserves to be worth more than Dobbin, who produced ten goals and eight assists for Preston.

Overall, West Brom and Boro can be upset about missing out on Dobbin, who is a top talent in his own right, but they both already have exciting attacking stars who could lead them to promotion to the Premier League next season.