West Brom urged to sign Ipswich Town "super-sub" to bolster strikeforce | OneFootball

FLW's Baggies fan pundit wants the club to sign Ali Al-Hamadi to provide competition up front

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…

West Brom have been told to pursue the loan capture of Ipswich Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi this month, with Carlos Corberan needing to add to his attacking firepower if they are to mount a challenge for promotion this season.

Albion have Josh Maja and new signing Devante Cole as their current fit senior centre-forward options as it stands, and so they are likely set to add another striker to their squad before the transfer window closes on August 30.

Al Hamadi has enjoyed a stunning rise to the top in recent years, and currently plies his trade with Ipswich in the Premier League after he joined from fourth-tier AFC Wimbledon in the January window and helped Kieran McKenna's side achieve a historic promotion from the second-tier in May.

The Iraqi international mostly featured off the bench in the second-half of last season, and while he did bag some important goals for the Tractor Boys, he could find opportunities at a premium in the top-flight and soon leave on loan for this season.

Albion urged to go after Al-Hamadi to add attacking depth

According to a new report from The Athletic, Ipswich have received loan enquiries from numerous Championship clubs for the 22-year-old, but are yet to agree a deal with any club as no offer has come close to their valuation, and will only allow a move if they feel it is right for them and for and his development.

With news of a potential second-tier move on the horizon, FLW's Baggies fan pundit Callum Burgess wants his club to sign Al-Hamadi in the coming weeks to bolster Corberan's strikeforce ahead of a long Championship campaign, and plug the gap left by an already-departed player.

“With one-and-a-half weeks left of the window, we are still looking to replace the hole left by Brandon Thomas-Asante,” Burgess told Football League World.

“People could point towards Devante Cole (as his replacement), but it seems like he is more of a replacement for Andi Weimann’s role last year.

“Maja started the season well with a hat-trick, but with him coming off the back of two injuries last year, he is still going to need more support and someone to share minutes with.

“In terms of another striker I’d like Albion to sign, that would be Ali Al-Hamadi from Ipswich.

“It probably would be a loan deal, since they signed him last season for around £2m.

“Last season he started really well with AFC Wimbledon and got plenty of goals in League Two, then joined Ipswich and showed that he can score a few goals at Championship level.

“He only made one start, I believe, with a few appearances off the bench, and still scored four goals.

“He has clearly showed that he can play in a super-sub role, coming off the bench and being able to score like Ipswich did quite a lot last season with their substitutes.

“If we were to play a front two of Maja and Al-Hamadi, I think that would be a partnership that has the potential to score quite a few goals across the whole Championship season.”

Al-Hamadi is a realistic option for Corberan's squad

It is clear that a return to the Championship looks the most likely destination for Al-Hamadi this summer, and there can not be many more attractive options than being coached by Carlos Corberan at a club likely to challenge at the top end of the table.

It is currently unclear which clubs have approached Ipswich over a potential deal for the 22-year-old, but the Baggies should certainly be interested as they seek reinforcements in the final third.

Corberan currently has Maja and Cole as his only fit, out-and-out strikers in his squad, with Karlan Grant and Lewis Dobbin both set to be preferred on the left-wing rather than up-front, and Daryl Dike sidelined.

Maja got off to the perfect start this season with a hat-trick in Albion's opening league game at QPR, but the team has scored just once in the two games since, with a 2-1 loss to Fleetwood Town as young forward Mo Faal netted his first goal for the club, and a 0-0 draw to Leeds last time out.

Neither of Corberan's senior strikers have been hugely prolific at Championship level in their careers so far, with Maja netting six times in 46 second-tier games, and Cole scoring once in 25 outings, so it is clear that another new addition is needed.

Al-Hamadi already has a better goal-to-game ratio in the Championship than each player, after he netted four times in 14 games for Ipswich last season, and he only started one of those matches.

He also has experience of scoring consistently in the EFL, with 23 strikes in 42 games in League Two in the 12 months he spent at Wimbledon after joining from Wycombe Wanderers in January 2023.

The reported competition for his signature this month means there is clearly a reason why so many second-tier teams want him in their side, and so West Brom must aim to beat off their rivals and bring him in to give themselves the best chance of mounting a challenge for promotion this season.