Ryan Mason is preparing for a huge first transfer window as West Brom’s new head coach.
West Bromwich Albion can get down to business in the transfer market now Ryan Mason has been confirmed as the club’s new permanent head coach.
The Baggies took nearly two months to replace Tony Mowbray but finally have their man as Mason put pen to paper on a three-year contract earlier this week. Leaving his Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach gig just after winning the UEFA Europa League, Mason is excited to take on his first-ever full-time managerial role and believes The Hawthorns will be a great home to kickstart that chapter of his career.
An absolutely pivotal few months lie ahead as West Brom must replace outgoing first-team players Grady Diangana, John Swift and Semi Ajayi while plugging other areas of the squad. Significant sales are expected with Tom Fellows linked with a mega Premier League transfer and others heading into the final years of their contracts, so quite a squad overhaul could take place.
It’s a bit of a baptism of fire for Mason but much of the transfer business is conducted by the recruitment team, so not all the pressure is on his shoulders. West Brom won’t have a huge budget to work with but the potential sale of Fellows could help in that regard.
Some targets have already emerged but there aren’t too many named candidates for the host of positions Albion are looking to strengthen. Birmingham World understands that Spurs duo Jamie Donley and Mikey Moore are on the Baggies’ radar for potential loan moves and Gora Diouf has been lined up as a potential defensive swoop.
Mega first Ryan Mason West Brom summer transfer window predicted by AI
Who else could West Brom sign, then? It’s hard to say at this stage, so we’ve enlisted the help of artificial intelligence to suggest who Albion should target. Using Grok, the AI tool resident on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), we’ve come up with six signings who could help propel the Baggies back into play-off contention.
First up is soon-to-be free agent striker Danny Ings, who is leaving West Ham United at the end of his contract on June 30. Grok believes the former England international would be the perfect man to help end West Brom’s goalscoring woes. Ings, who once cost Aston Villa £25 million to sign from Southampton, has netted 72 goals in 240 career English top-tier appearances. Ings’ wages could perhaps be an issue but he may be convinced to lower his expectations if guaranteed a starting spot.
The next suggested signing is Crewe Alexandra’s Zac Williams. Albeit a rather rogue shout, the Wales under-21 international would provide handy cover at both centre-back and left-back. He’d also be a free addition as his Crewe deal is up at the end of the month. Stepping up from League Two to the Championship could be tricky but Williams wouldn’t be expected to start games immediately.
Yet another possible free agent addition Grok has suggested is FC Sion’s Gora Diouf, a 21-year-old Senegalese. The central defender played 24 times for Sion in the Swiss Super League throughout 2024/25. Albeit most likely not quite ready for this level, Diouf has some great potential that Albion could tap into and he could rotate in to begin with.
Moving onto Mason’s old team, and there could be a brilliant addition from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Promising young winger Mikey Moore recently enjoyed a breakthrough season in the Spurs first team as he played 939 minutes across all competitions, scoring two goals and providing two assists. Moore, a quick and skilful left winger, is being lined up for his first-ever loan and Grok things Mason should be reunited with the 17-year-old at The Hawthorns.
Now, at this stage we have a slight hunch that Grok may have been reading Birmingham World to offer these suggestions, as it has picked out Donley. Completing a double Spurs swoop, the Northern Irishman is another target we have revealed on this website. Nonetheless, it’s a decent shout as Donley, predominantly an attacking midfielder but also capable of playing a little deeper or out wide, could offer plenty in a host of roles.
Last but not least, Grok has predicted Albion to swoop for AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers. The 26-year-old has been linked with Birmingham City this summer but Blues have pursued a loan deal for Brighton & Hove Albion’s James Beadle instead. Travers, who won the Championship Golden Glove two years ago, could be available for a bargain £4 million fee.
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