West Bromwich Albion's James Morrison Eyes More Signings Before Deadline
West Bromwich Albion boss James Morrison says he is “hopeful” of adding more faces before the transfer window shuts – with a deal to bring Manchester United midfielder Toby Collyer back to The Hawthorns edging towards completion.
Albion are in advanced talks with United over re-signing Collyer after his loan spell in the first half of last season and are poised to clinch a permanent move worth up to £7.6m. It would be another significant piece of business for a club that has quietly rebuilt across the summer and opened the Championship campaign with two wins from two.
Tunde brings pace – and something Albion have been missing
While the Collyer deal nears the line, Morrison has already been running the rule over the latest arrival, Spanish winger Kareem Tunde, who joined from Levante this week.
"It's a big opportunity for him, coming to a new culture, still only being 21," Morrison told BBC Radio WM. "He's an exciting prospect and an exciting player, so we're delighted to have him.
"It just gives us different options now and I felt like we've always missed that little bit in games where we could stretch our opposition and he's got that pace and power that we've been looking for."
Tunde becomes Albion’s eighth signing of the summer, a number that underlines the scale of the refresh. Morrison, though, has no intention of easing off before the 1 September deadline.
"I am hopeful," he said. "There's been a lot of hard work been going on behind the scenes. We have to do things a little bit differently, we have to be clever about it and I felt that we've been doing that because we've had a lot of signings."
Strong start, stern test
Two games, two victories. Morrison is now fine-tuning rather than rebuilding, adding what he sees as the final touches to a squad that has hit the ground running in the new Championship season.
Next comes a trip that means more to him than most: Middlesbrough away on Saturday. Last season’s beaten play-off finalists are his hometown club and the place where his career began, but sentiment will not cloud his focus.
"I've been back many times and played, so I'm over that," he said. "I can remember my first one going back and I was all over the place, I was terrible. So I learnt from that experience.
"I think my last time there as a player, I ended up scoring and I still remember that feeling. So I'm really looking forward to the game, but also I know this is going to be one of the toughest away fixtures we'll face.
"But they've [the Albion players] set a standard now and they can't let it drop."
With the window ticking down, a squad humming early, and Collyer likely to return, the real question for Albion is no longer whether they are ready for the season – but just how high this recalibrated group can aim.
