West Bromwich Albion kick off their 2026/27 campaign with a trip to face Rotherham United away from home in the League Cup on Saturday evening, while Stoke City are at home to Oldham Athletic.
The two clubs get to have a competitive game under their belt before their Championship openers against Norwich City and Swansea City, respectively, the following weekend.
It’s been a busy summer for Stoke, while James Morrison and the Baggies recruitment team are also still hard at work behind the scenes to add more quality to the group before the end of the window.
One player who has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns in recent weeks is Southampton centre-forward Cameron Archer, who may be on his way out of St. Mary’s this summer.
Why West Brom need to back out of the Cameron Archer race
The Baggies should back out of the race to sign the former Aston Villa marksman because he may not be the ideal fit for what they need in the striker position this season.
Morrison has experimented with several formations throughout pre-season, including a 4-3-3, a 4-4-1-1, and a 4-2-3-1, and the Saints attacker is not a great fit for any of those systems.
Archer is not a natural wide player or a natural number ten and he does not have the physicality to be relied upon week-in-week-out as a lone centre-forward in the Championship, which may be why he has failed to nail down a regular spot in Southampton’s team.
25/26 Championship | Cameron Archer |
|---|---|
Appearances | 30 |
Starts | 11 |
xG | 5.53 |
Goals | 4 |
Ground duels won per game | 1.1 |
Aerial duels won per game | 0.2 |
Ground duel success rate | 36% |
Aerial duel success rate | 15% |
The English forward is not strong enough in duels, as evidenced by his success rates in ground and aerial battles last term, to play up front on his own, as opposition defenders find it far too easy to get the better of him in physical contests.
Morrison, therefore, should look elsewhere in his pursuit of a new striker in order to find a player who is better suited to being effective up front for the Baggies.
West Brom should rival Stoke City for Ipswich Town striker
With this in mind, the West Brom manager should urge the club to join Championship rivals City in the race to sign a striker who was recently promoted to the Premier League.
Journalist Ben Jacobs recently revealed that Stoke are one of a number of second tier teams eyeing up a move for Ipswich Town number nine George Hirst.
The reporter also claimed that the Scotland international, who went to the World Cup this summer, also has interest from Scottish and German clubs.
Ipswich are said to be open to permanent offers for the former Leicester City marksman, and the Baggies must join Stoke in the race to secure his services before the end of the window.
West Brom have yet to be credited with an official interest in the 27-year-old attacker, but Morrison should push the board to sign him instead of eyeing a move for Archer.
Hirst, who has earned two promotions to the Premier League during his time with Ipswich, would be a much better option for the Baggies in the number nine role than the Southampton striker this season.
25/26 Championship | Archer | Hirst |
|---|---|---|
Appearances | 30 | 42 |
xG | 5.53 | 13.78 |
Goals | 4 | 11 |
Big chances created | 2 | 7 |
Assists | 3 | 3 |
Duels won per game | 1.3 | 2.5 |
Aerial duel success rate | 15% | 50% |
In the 2025/26 campaign, the Scottish forward won 35% more of his aerial duels than Archer did in the Championship, which proves that he is significantly more reliable as an outlet up front.
He can duel with defenders and win flick-ons or hold the ball up for his side, which is where Archer struggles, and that makes him an ideal fit for a team playing with one out-and-out striker.
On top of offering more physicality than the Saints man, Hirst also scored seven more goals and created five more ‘big chances’ than him to be a difference-maker in the final third.
These statistics suggest that he has the quality to offer even more than Archer in front of goal and could, therefore, win more valuable points for the Baggies in their efforts to earn promotion to the Premier League.
That is why West Brom should push to rival Stoke for Hirst’s signature and forget about a move for Archer in the coming weeks, as he would be a much better signing.
The Ipswich striker is a proven Championship player who knows the physicality of the league and has shown that he can play a key role in a promotion from the division, and it is now down to the Baggies to join the race for his services.
