West Brom opinion: Darnell Furlong could be an absolute steal for the Baggies
According to the Express and Star, West Brom are on the verge of completing the signing of versatile defender Darnell Furlong from QPR, with manager Slaven Bilic looking to add more depth to his backline before the transfer deadline in August.
The same report claims that the Baggies are set to fork out a fee in the region of £1.5million to secure the services of the 23-year-old QPR academy graduate.
Furlong is not the only defender on West Brom radar, with Express and Star suggesting that the Baggies are also keen to bring Mason Holgate back for another loan spell from Everton, having already added Nigerian international Semi Ajayi to their ranks from Rotherham United.
The Baggies were slow to get off the mark in the summer transfer window but they have finally flexed their muscles over the past few days to acquire the services of Ajayi and Kenneth Zohore from Rotherham and Cardiff City respectively.
Meanwhile, Sporting Lison winger Matheus Pereira and Brentford star Romaine Sawyers continue to be linked with moves to the Hawthorns. (h/t Express & Star)
Slaven Bilic initiated his business with a season-long loan deal for Croatian playmaker Filip Krovinovic from Benfica before the likes of Ajayi and Zohore came through the door.
And now it seems that the Baggies are close to completing their fourth signing of the summer, with Furlong closing in on a move to the Midlands giants.
While bringing in attacking reinforcements to cope with the departure of two prolific forwards Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez continue to be a priority for the club, even after the acquisition of Zohore from Cardiff, the Baggies are probably also aware of the fact that they are light in their options at the back.
The sale of the long-standing leader at the back Craig Dawson to Watford, coupled with the departure of loanees Tosin Adarabioyo and Mason Holgate to parent clubs Man City and Everton respectively, have left the Baggies short of quality cover at the back.
Darnell Furlong isn’t one of the most prominent names in the Championship but the Luton-born defender has probably caught the attention of the Baggies with his versatility to play at both centre-back and right-back, as well as further up the pitch as a right wing-back.
The 23-year-old featured largely as a right-back under Steve McClaren last season but he was slotted into the centre-back role at times to cover for the lack of quality options.
Furlong made his first-team debut for QPR in the Premier League way back in the 2014-15 season but he had loan stints at Northampton Town, Swindon Town and Cambridge United thereafter before returning to the first-team set-up at Loftus Road in the second half of the 2016-17 campaign in the Championship.
The 23-year-old has made a total fo 72 appearances for QPR in all competitions till date and a move to West Brom might as well be a big step forward in his career, given that the Baggies will be expected to reignite their surge for promotion once again next term.
Furlong’s arrival isn’t likely to get the fans off their feet but he might go on to establish himself as a useful squad player under Bilic next season, as depth in the ranks could prove to be the difference between promotion glory and another hard slog in the Championship.
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All in all, Furlong is competent enough to provide cover and competition in multiple areas across the backline. At £1.5million, he could be an absolute steal for the Baggies this summer.