West Brom have made an unbeaten start to the Championship and have fully got behind youthful manager Ryan Mason.
While it is early in his tenure, there is a belief that West Brom could make a return to the Premier League under Ryan Mason, bringing to an end a period since 2021 without top-flight football.
The club have recently lost their fourth signing in two seasons to Championship rivals Ipswich Town, with the latest being Darnell Furlong.
Furlong had started the opening three Championship games for West Brom this season, so he will be a big miss for Ryan Mason; however, they have seemingly identified a replacement already.
West Brom identify Alfie Gilchrist as Darnell Furlong’s replacement.
It has been reported by Ben Jacobs on social media that West Brom are set to sign Alfie Gilchrist from Chelsea for a fee of £2 million.
Ryan Mason will be ignoring his deep rivalry with Chelsea as a former Tottenham Hotspur player and coach to bring the versatile defender to the club.
Gilchrist would be viewed as a replacement for Furlong, and they will be safe in the knowledge that he is accustomed to the Championship, having played for Sheffield United last season.
He made 32 appearances for the Blades last season, and while he will be disappointed to have seen them lose the Championship play-off final, West Brom fans can be encouraged that he is a player that was part of a team that marched to third place in the division.
Mauricio Pochettino was a huge fan of Alfie Gilchrist
The former Spurs and Chelsea head coach was a huge fan of Alfie Gilchrist, and he handed the player his Chelsea debut against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Gilchrist would go on to make 17 appearances for Chelsea that season, with Mauricio Pochettino becoming a fan of the player, speaking about his talent after an FA Cup fixture with Aston Villa to Football London.
He said: “Really good. It’s one of the most difficult things to manage the stress because he knew he was not going to play, and then he was going to play.
“Sometimes with the young guys, you give the starting XI and sometimes think too much, and the stress can affect. But because it was 20 minutes or half an hour before the game, sometimes you think too much.
Alfie Gilchrist for Sheffield United
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
“All the young ones need time to be calm and relaxed and not spend so much energy thinking on the game. He was really good. Good game from him; he is going to grow.
“I think it’s important for his career. He needs to compete with different players in his position. We are giving him the opportunity.
“It’s important for academy players to have the opportunity to play and show they can cope for playing for Chelsea. We will see if he can reach the level we expect. We are so happy in the way that he is producing.”