West Bromwich Albion have never been shy when it comes to signing players from fellow English clubs over recent years.
One man that the Baggies signed from one of England’s top clubs in the past is Jonny Evans. In 2015, the Midlands club secured a deal for the defender from Manchester United worth a reported fee of £6m plus £2m in add-ons.
Would you be happy if WBA signed Lenihan on a free transfer?
After making 96 appearances for the Baggies across all competitions, in which he scored five goals and delivered four assists, the centre-back then joined Leicester City in 2018 for £3.5m.
Throughout his final Premier League season at The Hawthorns, the former United defender won 19 tackles and made 200 pressures, 29 blocks, 65 interceptions and 166 clearances, highlighting his clear defensive attributes and usefulness to the team.
Now that another season has gone by and another summer transfer window is set to open for business, this period could give Steve Bruce the chance to finally replace the Northern Irishman.
One player who has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns this summer and who could be West Brom’s next version of Evans is Darragh Lenihan.
During his previous four campaigns with Blackburn Rovers, the £2.7m-rated defender has totalled 218 interceptions and won 121 tackles. This latest campaign saw the 28-year-old make more interceptions (58) and win more tackles (43) than any other defender at the Lancashire club.
He also racked up the second-highest average of clearances per game (4.1) at Blackburn, further highlighting how capable he is at the back and why he’d be a great addition to West Brom’s ranks in a similar way to how Evans was a few years ago.
Labelled a “very solid Championship defender” by journalist Callum Altimas, Lenihan also ended his latest and potentially last season at Ewood Park as Blackburn’s highest-rated player according to WhoScored in terms of his overall performances throughout the campaign.
Available on a free transfer once his current contract expires at the end of the month, bringing the Irishman to The Hawthorns is definitely something that the Baggies should be all over as they look to get closer to promotion next year.
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