Middlesbrough handed West Brom a modern-day hero for just £1.5m: View | OneFootball

West Brom signed club legend James Morrison from Middlesbrough for just £1.5m back in 2007

The 2024/25 campaign marks West Bromwich Albion's fourth consecutive season in the Championship, following relegation from the Premier League in 2021.

But throughout the vast majority of the 2010s, the Baggies resided in the top-flight, until finishing bottom of the Premier League pile in 2018 after earning just 31 points.

Although Albion earned automatic promotion from the Championship in 2020, this time around they failed to retain their top tier status and found themselves in the second tier once again 12 months later.

Central midfielder James Morrison was a central figure for the Baggies during their long top-flight stint which lasted from 2010 until 2018, and also won two promotions with the club.

Morrison was an absolute bargain

The Baggies signed the former Scotland international from Middlesbrough back in August 2007 for a fee of £1.5m and he would remain at the Hawthorns all the way up until his retirement in 2019.

During his illustrious 12-year spell, Morrison clocked up an impressive 341 appearances for Albion, as per TransferMarkt, but while his longevity is admirable, the 38-year-old should also be remembered for the creative quality he brought to the field.

The Baggies lifted the Championship title at the end of the 2007/08 campaign and Morrison played a crucial role towards this success, as he made 35 second-tier appearances, scoring four goals and assisting a further five during his debut season in the West Midlands.

The former Boro man then went on to make 30 Premier League outings the following campaign and scored three goals as well as providing four assists, but it was not enough to prevent his club from immediate relegation back to the Championship.

But by the end of the 2009/10 season, Morrison and the Baggies won automatic promotion back to the top flight together once again, while this time around the Scot played a smaller role as he made just 11 appearances, managing one goal and an assist.

After winning two promotions in three years, Albion would then enjoy eight years in the Premier League, and largely speaking, the Hawthorns outfit were not overly threatened by the prospect of relegation until they did drop back down to the Championship in 2018, although the 17th place finish at the end of the 2013/14 campaign would have had the Baggies faithful biting their nails.

During their eight-year top-flight spell, West Brom were a regular feature in mid-table, and the presence of Morrison was a big reason why this was possible.

Morrison regularly exceeded 30 Premier League appearances per season, while his most productive campaign came in 2011/12 as he scored five goals and created five assists.

The midfielder's importance to the Baggies was epitomised by the fact that when he missed the vast majority of the 2017/18 top-flight campaign through an Achilles tendon injury, his club were relegated to the Championship.

After recovering from this setback, Morrison would go on to play 21 times for Albion during the 2018/19 second tier season, helping them land a play-off spot, before retiring.

When the Baggies signed Morrison for less than £2m in 2007, they could not have expected him to be a key player over a decade later.

Baggies will struggle to emulate success of Morrison deal

A serious argument could be made that the £1.5m the Baggies spent on the former Scotland international is the best £1.5m the club have ever spent.

Morrison is a modern-day Albion hero who won two promotions with the club and provided supporters with years of excellent service during their time in the Premier League.

It will be difficult for the recruitment team at the Hawthorns to ever strike a better deal than the agreement made with Boro for the services of Morrison.