Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Coventry City
Derby County
Leeds United
Luton Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
QPR
West Brom began their season in the perfect manner as they secured a 1-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at the Hawthorns.
The victory appeared to be inspired by Nat Phillips as he made his debut for West Brom.
Ryan Mason and West Brom are trying to make some further signings before the transfer market closes in a couple of weeks, with the Baggies aiming to sign the ‘next Jay-Jay Okocha’.
West Brom had also been linked to the signing of Kian Best on loan from Chelsea, as Mason looks to strengthen the defensive options at the club.
However, they look set to lose a key player due to the deal they are being offered from Italian giants who lifted silverware last season.
West Brom accept bid for Torbjorn Heggem
As reported in the Express and Star, Torbjorn Heggem is in the final stages of a move to Italian giants Bologna.
West Brom have reportedly accepted an initial £10 million fee plus a sell-on clause as Bologna look to strengthen ahead of their Europa League campaign this season.
This would result in a huge profit for West Brom, as they signed the defender for a fee of around £525,000 from IF Brommapojkarna in Sweden last summer.
Heggem had featured in the opening day victory over Blackburn Rovers and was set to be involved for their Carabao Cup game with Derby County, which they went on to lose, with it believed he had travelled to the Emilia-Romagna region to finalise his deal with the Coppa Italia champions.
The Norwegian defender now looks set to begin life in Serie A, with it believed the finalisation is only waiting for both clubs to announce a completion of the deal.
Carlos Corberan was a huge fan of Heggem
While Heggem was a signing under Carlos Corberan, the Spaniard seemed to put the decision to sign the centre back on the recruitment team.
Speaking to the Express and Star in October 2024, Corberan was full of praise for the defender.
By that stage Heggem had established himself as a key component in the West Brom team, playing 12 matches and being part of a defence that racked up seven clean sheets in the league and had conceded the third fewest goals (seven) in the division.
He said: “I am very pleased because from the first moment his adaptation has been exceptional, and his performance level has been exceptional.
“I insist that the Heggem signing is the consequence of the good work from our recruitment department.
“When we watched him, he had the habit of playing more as a left centre-back in a line of three. That was the main position of his career.
“One of the reasons I like him and we bring him in is his skill to adapt to different positions. I saw him as a right-back, left-back, left-centre-back in a line of three and a few moments as a centre-back in a line of four.”