“Very surprising” – West Brom urged against £5m Middlesbrough transfer | OneFootball

West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess has offered his thoughts on Albion making a move for Middlesbrough’s Isaiah Jones.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

As the January transfer window enters its second week, West Brom have been linked with making their first signing of the new year.

It has been reported by Sky Sports that the Baggies have had a £5 million bid accepted for Middlesbrough winger Isaiah Jones along with Championship rivals Luton Town, while Millwall have also registered their interest in making a move for the 25-year-old.

Sky Sports also reported that Boro have given both Albion and the Hatters permission to speak to the player, but Kenilworth Road remains the likeliest destination for Jones to move to by the end of the window.

It is a significant fee to be spending on a player given West Brom’s well-documented financial issues at the start of the season, with the club working alongside the EFL to not breach profit and sustainability rules.

As the saga surrounding Jones’ future develops, West Brom fan pundit for Football League World, Callum Burgess, has offered his thoughts on the potential move, and whether the wideman would be a good fit in blue and white.

West Brom urged to look away from Isaiah Jones in the January transfer window

Speaking to Football League World, FLW's Baggies fan pundit Callum Burgess admitted to being surprised about such an expensive price tag for Jones, and believes money should be spent on other positions that need immediate reinforcements.

Burgess said: “I’d say that spending so much money on a player who is predominantly a right-wing player in Tom Fellows’ spot or a wing-back where Darnell Furlong plays in a back three or five setup, would be surprising.

“I do rate Isaiah Jones from his time with Chris Wilder at Middlesbrough, where he was such a menace up and down the right flank and getting assists at a very consistent rate, but I do think it would be a shock to see us sign him, especially with the fee quoted.

“I think we could spend the money elsewhere, where, personally, I want to see it spent on either an attacking midfielder or another number nine rather than Jones when we already have an assist threat from Tom Fellows.

“I think we need more players to help Josh Maja out, who can get on the end of Fellows’ crosses with Daryl Dike still yet to return from injury. Karlan Grant has provided us with a goalscoring threat, but I think we could get another spark off the bench for a fee better than what is quoted for Jones, so an attacking midfielder would be a priority for me rather than spending it on him.”

West Brom should move on from Isaiah Jones

It would certainly be perplexing to see Albion spend such a significant chunk of their budget on a position where they are already well covered for the rest of the season.

The reported £5 million figure is a big gamble to take on a player who is yet to record an attacking return this season and looks somewhat devoid of confidence with his playing career heading in the wrong direction.

A move for someone like Jones would have been appealing a few seasons ago when he was one of the standout talents in the second tier, but this move seems to look like a waste of important funds, which is not what West Brom need during this challenging time.

With a new manager yet to take the hotseat at The Hawthorns, it remains to be seen what the preferred formation will look like, but under Carlos Corberan and interim boss Chris Brunt, the number 10 spot should be where the club look to improve, with alternative creativity needed to supply top scorer Josh Maja, not just from Tom Fellows and Mikey Johnston on the flanks.