West Bromwich Albion are back in action in the Championship on Good Friday as they prepare to host Wrexham at The Hawthorns after the international break.
The Baggies are looking to make it three wins in a row in the second tier in their bid to avoid relegation to League One in the final seven games of the campaign.
James Morrison has stepped in as interim manager to replace Eric Ramsay, who has not won a single game, and has won his last two games against Hull and Bristol City.
Something that makes the attacking midfielder’s recent results even more impressive is that he has been without key striker Mike Johnston.
The Republic of Ireland international has been sidelined with an ankle injury since the defeat by Oxford United in Morrison’s first game in charge, playing just 22 minutes in the first half.
Analyzing West Brom’s Mikey Johnston’s season
Despite the club’s poor season overall, as they battled for relegation rather than promotion, Johnston caught the eye with his form in the side.
The former Celtic star leads the squad in the Championship this season in ‘big chances’ created (11), key passes per game (1.6), xA (7.59), and assists (nine), which speaks to how important he is to the team from a creative perspective.
Johnston has bagged two goals and nine assists in 27 league starts for the Baggies, while also completing a team-high 1.7 dribbles per game, and could be more if not for the ankle injury he is currently dealing with.
The Transfermarkt value of the Irishman has increased due to his strong form at the West Brom stadium. He was valued at £2.6m at the time of his move from Celtic and is now worth £3.5m at the time of writing.
Although the Baggies have struck gold with Johnston, thanks to his play and growing value, there is another player in the squad who is more important than him, and that could be Morrison’s Romelu Lukaku.
West Brom could discover their next Lukaku
Baggies fans may have fond memories of when the club loaned Lukaku to Chelsea in the 2012/13 campaign, as he scored 17 goals in 35 Premier League appearances.
The Belgian striker was a fantastic player for West Brom because he brought physicality, movement, and a unique quality in front of goal to the team, which is how he nearly scored 20 goals in the top flight in one season.
Now, Morrison can get his own version of the powerhouse in Baggies star Aune Heggebo, who has the potential to be a smart number nine at The Hawthorns.
The Norwegian star, like Lukaku, provides physical space at the other end of the pitch. He has won 2.5 aerial duels per game in the Championship this season, which shows that he can compete with England’s defenders.
Heggebo also showed glimpses of the quality he can provide in the final third in the second division, scoring nine of his 31 starts in his first season with the Baggies.
Like Lukaku during his time at West Brom early in his career, Heggebo is also a mobile striker who can run to the end line and run at defenders with the ball at his feet.
In fact, the Norwegian number nine ranks in the top 11% in the category of dribbles completed (23) and in the top 14% in dribble success rate (56%), which is a testament to his mobility and quality.
|
25/26 Championship |
Heggebo |
|---|---|
|
It starts |
31 |
|
xG |
9.88 |
|
xG on the target |
9.32 |
|
Goals |
9 |
|
Opportunities are created |
22 |
|
It helps |
3 |
|
Duels won |
194 |
Heggebo’s Transfermarkt value has soared thanks to his impressive first season in English football since moving from Brann last summer.
At the time of writing, his Transfermarkt value is £6.1m. That is more than double the £3m market value he had when he was transferred to England last year, indicating the club hit the jackpot with the striker.
Heggebo, more important than Johnston, has the technical and physical qualities to be the center of a Lukaku-esque-forward Morrison, but it is up to his manager to build a team that creates enough opportunities for the player.
If West Brom, possibly with Johnston back, can create more opportunities for the Norwegian star on a regular basis, Heggebo could continue to be a prolific goalscorer for the club, just as Lukaku was during his loan spell.
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