West Brom join hunt for £4m-rated Blackpool man’s signature

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Bromwich Albion will be looking to push forward as a club with head coach Carlos Corberan at the helm later this year.

In order to have the best chance of launching a bid for automatic promotion later this year, the Baggies will need to bolster their squad over the course of the summer.

Ahead of the upcoming window, Albion have already been linked with an individual who played in the Championship for Blackpool during the 2022/23 campaign.

Who are West Brom interested in signing from Blackpool this summer?

According to The Sun, West Brom have joined the hunt for Jerry Yates.

It is understood that Yates is also a target for Rangers while Luton Town, Coventry City, Bristol City and Ipswich Town are also said to be interested in the Blackpool striker.

Yates is currently valued at £4m by Blackpool, and has a contract with the club that is set to run until 2024.

The Seasiders, who were relegated to League One earlier this month, possess an option to extend Yates’ deal for another 12 months.

Here, three of our FLW writers have offered their thoughts on whether Yates would be a good addition to West Brom’s squad.

Would Blackpool’s Jerry Yates be a good signing for West Brom?

Justin Peach

Jerry Yates was a key figure for Blackpool last season, proving himself to be a reliable scorer for a struggling side last season.

14 goals in any league is a respectable return, especially for a side who suffered relegation to League One.

However, digging deeper into Yates’ return might suggest that West Brom should be looking elsewhere for a forward.

Firstly, Yates had nine goals in his opening 17 games, before going on a goal drought in the middle of the campaign, scoring once in 20, before a late goal glut at the end of the season.

It suggests that whilst his goal record is a decent return, it should be met with some pragmatism to what he can deliver throughout the course of an entire campaign.

Not only that, but given West Brom’s financial issues and an apparent lack of investment from the owner, can they afford the signing of Yates?

Perhaps not, and with his record, if they were to invest several million on a player, it should be on someone who is a reliable, consistent goal scorer at Championship level.

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

The striking department is certainly an area West Brom need to be looking to improve this summer.

Indeed, with Daryl Dike’s continued injury problems, the club do not have many good options at present.

Karlan Grant is coming off the back of a tough season, and Brandon Thomas-Asante is still inexperienced at this level.

Jerry Yates would be a cracking addition, then

He scored goals in a struggling Blackpool side this season, and crucially, got 41 games under his belt, demonstrating his availability across a grueling Championship campaign.

The only thing that makes me hesitate on this deal is the reported asking price of £4 million.

Given West Brom’s financial issues, and the fact the club focused largely on frees and loans last summer, whether they can afford to pay that much for a single player this window remains to be seen.

Let’s not forget, whilst for Premier League sides £4 million would be nothing, at Championship level, it’s a decent sized fee.

Josh Cole

Unless West Brom are able to negotiate a smaller fee than what Blackpool are currently seeking, they will have to look elsewhere this summer due to the precarious nature of the club’s finances.

Albion unquestionably need to add to their options in this particular area of the pitch, but simply cannot afford to spend money that they do not have.

Dike’s injury issues have severely limited the impact that he has been able to make at The Hawthorns, while Grant only managed to find the back of the net on three occasions in the 2022/23 season.

18 direct goal contributions in the Championship is an impressive feat, and thus it is hardly a surprise that Yates has emerged as a target for Albion.

However, with a host of clubs vying for the striker’s signature, West Brom should draft up a list of alternatives as there is every chance that they will miss out when it comes to this particular pursuit.