West Bromwich Albion

Championship leading goalscorer Isaac Price will look to add to his goal tally as West Bromwich Albion put their 100% winning start to the season on the line against Portsmouth on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Portsmouth's one win so far this season came away from home at Oxford United so John Mousinho's side can be encouraged by visiting The Hawthorns.

• West Brom are unbeaten across their last eight home league games against Portsmouth (W6 D2), since a 3-0 defeat at The Hawthorns in February 1998.

• Portsmouth have failed to win any of their last four league games against West Brom (D2 L2), last enduring a longer such run against the Baggies between 1987 and 1994 (nine games).

• West Brom have won each of their last three league games and will be looking to win four on the bounce for the first time since September 2024.

• Portsmouth have won two of their last three away league games (D1), one more than across their prior 16 fixtures on the road combined (D2 L13).

• Isaac Price has scored three goals in West Brom's opening two league games so far this season and boasts the league's fourth-highest non-penalty expected goals (xG) total (1.3).

Image source, PA Media

West Bromwich Albion midfielder Isaac Price has been called up to the Northern Ireland squad for their opening 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The 21-year-old is currently the Championship's top goal scorer, having netted three times in two games and helping to secure Ryan Mason's side maximum points so far.

Price has made 18 appearances for Northern Ireland and scored six goals since national team boss Michael O'Neill handed him his debut aged 19.

Northern Ireland open their World Cup qualifying campaign when they visit Luxembourg on 4 September.

West Bromwich Albion midfielder Jed Wallace praised the quality of his side's "excellent" display in Saturday's 3-2 win at Wrexham.

Wallace, who is entering his fourth season as Baggies captain, scored their second goal just seconds after coming on as a substitute after 74 minutes to put his side 2-1 up.

"Three points is three points; I think the manager made it very clear that it's about us and how we perform and I thought the boys were excellent," Wallace told BBC WM.

"They've got some very good players for this level, but so do we and I think you saw that today, the quality that we showed, the boys really dug in."

Wallace also praised the impact of West Bromwich Albion's new defensive pairing of Nathaniel Phillips and George Campbell.

"Nat has been immense, I think I knew as soon as we signed him that he'd be a big player and a big personality for us; you can see that he's as brave as anything," he added.

"And for George, I can't imagine there's many like [Wrexham striker] Kieffer Moore in the MLS that are that physical and that challenging, and he stood up to it really well."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds

West Brom Ryan Mason was delighted after seeing his side overcome Hollywood-backed Wrexham for their first away win of the season.

The Welsh club's spending power was underlined when they introduced Nathan Broadhead, who could eventually cost them £10m from Ipswich, as a first-half substitute for injured Josh Windass.

It was Albion's first away league victory since beaten Hull City 2-1 last November.

"I thought we were excellent. We deserved to win the game and it's been a hell of a long time since we won away from home in this league," said Mason.

"It's very nice to get that feeling inside the changing room.

"We came here with the right mindset and willingness to get a victory. We stood up as a team and as a squad."

The Baggies will at home to Portsmouth next Saturday.

Image source, Rex Features

Midfielder Harry Whitwell has joined Forest Green Rovers on a season-long loan from West Bromwich Albion.

The 19-year-old came through the Baggies' academy and made his senior debut in the FA Cup against Aldershot Town in January 2024.

"Harry is an excellent addition who comes with excellent pedigree given his rise through the age groups at West Brom," manager Robbie Savage told the club website, external.

"He adds enthusiasm, quality, and energy to our midfield that we've assembled here at Forest Green and we're very pleased to get the deal over the line."

Steve Hermon
BBC Radio WM journalist

Image source, Rex Features

Slowly but surely, Albion are methodically revamping their squad, and it already looks vastly different to the one that owners Bilkul inherited when they took over the club 18 months ago.

That team performed beyond expectations and reached the 2023-24 play-offs under Carlos Corberan. It was also an ageing side, as they ended the campaign with 11 players aged 30 or over and a bloated wage bill.

With the dual necessity of reducing those wages and a desire to target young potential, the Baggies now have only a trio of players in their 30s – club captain Jed Wallace, midfielder Alex Mowatt and back-up striker Devante Cole, who incidentally are all out of contract at the end of this season.

Of course, every squad needs experience, and the Baggies have added that this summer, with Nat Phillips and Krystian Bielik, who are 28 and 27 respectively, but just this week Albion have highlighted the benefit of finding untapped talent. With a sell-on clause included, they could make a minimum £9m profit on Torbjorn Heggem (pictured), following the Norwegian's move to Italian side Bologna, 13 months after he was plucked from the Swedish top flight for under £600,000.

That sale is a massive help to the club's continuing wrestling match with profit and sustainability rules and hopefully protects other assets, such as academy product Tom Fellows and midfielder Isaac Price - in this window at least - as the Northern Ireland international will at some point be the next example of a player who eventually moves on for a huge profit. The 21-year-old is that good and will only get better.

However, when I asked head coach Ryan Mason about this process, he was keen to point out that it isn't the exact model, but rather "the context of our current situation" and to help them be "better placed" in the future.

Albion certainly have their eyes on that future. Sporting director Andrew Nestor, who leads on recruitment, is not only planning for the remainder of this transfer window but also the next one and even the one after that.

While the work is far from done, fans should be encouraged by the squad turnover that's taking place. However the difficulty remains doing it while attempting to get out of one of the most competitive divisions in European football.

West Bromwich Albion boss Ryan Mason says he believes the club's current model of purchasing low-value players with a view to developing them for a higher resale price is only a temporary solution to resolve the club's financial issues.

The Baggies sold defender Torbjorn Heggem to Serie A club Bologna on a £10m deal on Friday, having purchased the Norwegian for just under £600,000 in July 2024.

Speaking to BBC Radio WM on Thursday, prior to the completion of the sale, the head coach was asked whether the 'Bilkul model' introduced when Shilen Patel took over the club in February 2024 was something he was made aware of when he arrived in June.

"I think it's more the context of our current situation and what we inherited as a club a couple of years ago in terms of the new ownership," Mason said.

"I don't necessarily believe that's the model, it's just a model we currently using to get us to a point where we can be better placed.

"If there's opportunities that arise in this period now where I can accelerate the process of getting us more stable on that side of it, then that can only benefit the club."

Listen to the full pre-match interview with Mason and more on BBC Sounds.

Wrexham host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (12:30 BST) hunting their first win of their Championship season as the Baggies eye another victory after grabbing all three points against Blackburn on the opening weekend.

Red Dragons manager Phil Parkinson praised Ollie Palmer after his two goals helped them beat Hull City on penalties in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday and revealed the player wants to stay, after his first competitive outing since February.

• This will be the first league meeting between Wrexham and West Brom, though the pair have met once before in the FA Cup, with the Welsh side winning 1-0 in January 1930.

• West Brom have won only one of their last seven away league games in Wales (D3 L3); a 1-0 victory at Cardiff City in November 2023.

• Wrexham have won their opening home game in five of their last six Football League campaigns with the only exception coming in 2023-24 (a 5-3 defeat by MK Dons).

• Following their 1-0 win at home to Blackburn on MD1, West Brom will be looking to start a league campaign with back-to-back victories for the first time since 2017-18 in the Premier League.

• In their opener vs Southampton, Wrexham goalkeeper Danny Ward made seven saves – the joint-most in a league match by a keeper for the club since they returned to the EFL in 2023-24.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United midfielder Toby Collyer is on the verge of joining West Bromwich Albion on a season-long loan.

The 21-year-old former Brighton academy player made 13 first-team appearances for United last season.

He also went on the club's pre-season tour of the United States this summer.

However, with increased competition for places in Ruben Amorim's squad, and no European football this season, the United hierarchy decided with Collyer it would be better to further his education away from Old Trafford.

Collyer has received a number of offers, including from Sheffield Wednesday, and it had not completely been discounted that he could move on a permanent basis.

But it has been decided a loan to West Brom is the most favourable option and Collyer is expected to complete the move imminently.

Steve Hermon
BBC Radio WM Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The sale of Torbjorn Heggem is clearly a huge loss to the heart of West Bromwich Albion's defence, however, it is the best example yet of the recruitment model that has been implemented under the club's owners, Bilkul, and led by their sporting director Andrew Nestor.

Outside of the club, practically nothing was known about the Norwegian defender when he arrived from Swedish top-flight side IF Brommapojkarna in July 2024.

Heggem cost under £600k and, fast forward 13 months, he is a Norway international and is going to be playing in Serie A after sealing a move which is worth in the region of £10m.

He was deservedly crowned the Baggies' player of the season after featuring in all but one of their Championship games in the 2024-25 campaign, and provided further proof of his credentials with a solid performance for his national team in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying victory against Italy during the summer - which may have alerted Bologna to his talents, although it is likely he was on their radar already.

Read more of Steve Hermon's analysis on Heggem's departure here.

West Bromwich Albion boss Ryan Mason said their Carabao Cup loss to Derby County was disappointing and felt his side were dominant on the night.

The game ended 1-1 when Joe Ward cancelled out striker Aune Heggebo's opener with a 96th-minute equaliser, with Derby going on to win the penalty shootout 3-2.

Mason insisted that there were a lot of positives to take into their game at Wrexham on Saturday (12:30 BST).

"It's not going to take away from the overall performance, there were lots of positives which we will take into Saturday," he told BBC Radio WM.

"I thought the performance of the team was really good, it's so frustrating we didn't win, we deserved so much more.

"On another day we come away two, or three-nil winners."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Former West Bromwich Albion player Paul Peschisolido has been reflecting on his time at the club.

The Canadian made 45 appearances in the 1996-97 season, scoring 18 goals in all competitions for Baggies.

The ex-Birmingham City man played in the Black Country derby and the Second City derby during his time in England, and scored 118 goals in 447 appearances there.

"In terms of attacking prowess in that team, we were blessed, it was difficult for the manager at the time to select the front three," Peschisolido told BBC Radio WM.

"The week building up (to the derby's) was incredible, they were fierce, they were enjoyable. Living local always made a big difference.

"The atmosphere was just electric."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.