West Brom and Sheffield United could sign new signing Harvey Barnes for just £3m

The Championship has been a brilliant training ground for the best players in the Premier League and across Europe, with West Bromwich Albion playing their part along the way.

Some truly impressive footballers have come through the EFL in recent years. Look no further than Bayern Munich star Michael Olise, who started his career with Reading.

Jack Grealish, who left Aston Villa to sign for Manchester City for £100m in 2021, played for Notts County and Villa in the EFL before his breakthrough.

The Baggies may not have had stars like Grealish and Olise of late, but they were instrumental in the development of Harvey Barnes early in his career.

He scored nine goals, created ten ‘big chances’, and provided six assists in 26 Championship appearances on loan from Leicester City in the first half of the 2018/19 campaign.

Why West Brom need to get their new Harvey Barnes

Now, the priority for new manager James Morrison in the upcoming summer transfer window must be to find the club’s next version of Barnes on the wing.

The Baggies have scored just 48 goals in 46 games in the second tier this season, narrowly avoiding relegation to League One, and need to bolster their squad with top quality at the other end of the pitch.

Mike Johnston provided quality as a creative threat, with nine assists in the second half, but the former Celtic striker did not pose enough of a threat as a goalscorer.

West Brom need to find a player, like Barnes, who can contribute goals and help regularly in the final third to take the club’s attack to another level, so they can kick on and push for promotion in the 2026/27 campaign under Morrison.

The Baggies have already been linked with an EFL attacker who could fit the bill, but they may have to overcome competition from their division rivals first.

West Brom could be the next signing of Harvey Barnes for £3m

West Brom have been linked with an interest in bringing Reyes Cleary back to The Hawthorns, after selling him to Barnsley last year, and £3m could be enough to get a deal over the line.

However, their rivals in the Championship, Sheffield United, managed by Chris Wilder, are among the other teams interested in signing the player, in a move that would allow them to play Gus Hamer in the middle instead of on the wing.

His form in League One for Barnsley in the 2025/26 campaign suggests that Morrison should push the club to beat the Blades to sign him, as he would be a fantastic addition to the squad.

Cleary outperformed his xG to score seven goals, three times as many as Johnston scored in the Championship, and registered 13 assists, while no player in the second division produced more than 12 assists.

West Brom seems to regret selling him to Barnsley last summer because now it is reported that they are determined to bring him back, not to mention that they made a mistake last year.

The Baggies already had an incredibly talented young striker on their hands, as evidenced by his 29 goals for the U18s and 28 goals for the U21s, but they didn’t give him a single league appearance in the 2023/24 or 2024/25 seasons to prove himself.

Cleary’s success at Barnsley is perhaps a lesson for West Brom, as it suggests that they should give their promising young players more first-team opportunities, which would help them create more top-class opportunities at their academy.

They made that mistake with the 22-year-old star, however, and now it’s time for them to reverse that mistake by paying £3m to bring him back to The Hawthorns, beating Sheffield United to his signature.

Cleary’s ability to score and create goals at an impressive rate as a left-sided winger suggests he could be the next version of Barnes’ Championship club, as the Foxes loanee has produced consistently as a goalscorer and creator during his time in the midlands.

The Baggies must now submit a formal offer for the English wizard as soon as possible to ensure the Blades do not get ahead of them in the race to secure his services in the summer transfer window.