West Bromwich Albion have taken a free-agent striker on trial and he is hoping to land a chance to sign a permanent contract at The Hawthorns, according to reports.
Is Ruben Shakpoke moving to West Bromwich Albion?
As reported by Birmingham Live, free agent teenager Ruben Shakpoke, who is formerly of Aston Villa and on the lookout for a new club, featured for West Brom’s second string against Blackburn Rovers in their 3-3 draw in the Premier League 2 and scored before being withdrawn at half-time.
The outlet state that Shakpoke enjoyed a productive time of things against Blackburn and utilised his physicality to his advantage as he bids to win a full-time contract at the Hawthorns.
All Nigeria Soccer claim that Shakpoke is on trial at West Brom with a view to signing a permanent deal at the Baggies this summer following an injury-ravaged 2022/23 campaign at Aston Villa.
Shakpoke struggled to stay fit in Aston Villa’s youth setup last term and made just seven appearances in all competitions, registering a solitary goal in the process, as per Transfermarkt.
Back in 2020, the 19-year-old joined Aston Villa from Norwich City amid a plethora of interest in his services in England and further afield; nevertheless, he wasn’t retained by Unai Emery’s men at the end of last season and is now seeking to continue his development elsewhere, as per talkSPORT.
His father, Jero Shakpoke, played for the Nigeria national side and enjoyed a fruitful career around Europe, featuring for clubs such as Bologna, Palermo and Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice.
Who else could join West Brom?
As per The Telegraph, West Brom find themselves in a grave financial situation and may need to supplement their squad by dipping into the market for free agents.
Identifying the likes of Shakpoke could help to evade the possibility of shelling out sizeable transfer fees and help to identify rough diamonds that can develop into senior regulars.
In terms of potential incomings, Football Insider indicate that the Baggies are keen on Reading full-back Nesta Guinness-Walker; however, they face competition from Sky Bet Championship side Blackburn Rovers to get a deal over the line.
Reading are embroiled in financial difficulty and Carlos Corberan is reportedly keen to snap up the London-born defender to strengthen his backline before the transfer window closes.
The same outlet claim that West Brom are in the race to sign Newcastle United outcast Isaac Hayden, who is deemed ‘surplus to requirements’ at St James’ Park and is available on the market.
Queens Park Rangers, Millwall and Middlesbrough are also keen on the 28-year-old midfielder, who would be most likely to leave Newcastle United to seek a new challenge elsewhere on a loan basis.
FootballTransfers have signalled that West Brom are hot on the tail of former Reading captain Liam Moore, who is now a free agent, as Corberan continues to seek defensive reinforcements.
Sheffield Wednesday also hold admiration toward the Jamaica international and are looking to integrate an experienced figure into their backline.
