West Brom will hope to emulate £100,000 Scottish transfer deal again one day: View | OneFootball

Scottish midfielder Graham Dorrans arrived at West Brom from Livingston and eventually became one of the club's most consistent performers, showing that the fee they paid for him turned out to be a bargain.

Current Birmingham City manager Tony Mowbray bought Graham Dorrans to the Hawthorns ahead of the 2008/09 season when he was West Brom manager.

In January 2008, the Scotsman agreed to join the West Midlands club at the end of the season. A fee was agreed with Livingston, believed to be in the region of £100,000 according to the BBC.

Graham Dorrans signed his first professional contract with West Lothian-based team Livingston, having previously spent time at youth-level training with record Scottish football champions Rangers.

It was with the Lions that Dorrans made his first senior appearance in the 2004/05 Scottish Premiership aged 18, coming on as a substitute for two minutes in a 2-0 away loss to Livingston.

The midfielder featured more in the following campaign with eight total appearances, including his first league start against Heart of Midlothian, where he played for 70 minutes and was eventually replaced by future Norwich City legend Wes Hoolahan.

Dorrans established himself as a key member of a Livingston side now playing in the Scottish second tier alongside another future West Brom player, Robert Snodgrass. The midfielder finished the season with an impressive 11 goals in 34 matches and was named the league's Player of the Year.

Graham Dorrans' Success at West Brom

The midfielder was not an instant success for West Brom.

He played only 11 matches for his team in all competitions in the 2008/09 season but did make his Premier League debut off the bench in a victory against Man City.

West Brom's relegation to the Championship following a last-placed finish in Dorrans' maiden season proved to be a catalyst that kick-started his career in the Black Country.

In the 2009/10 Championship season, the Scotsman scored 13 goals and made 18 assists in 45 matches as the Baggies bounced back to the Premier League.

Graham Dorrans scooped multiple individual accolades, including the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award, following his dominant midfield performances, and was included in the PFA Team of The Year.

In an interview with Record Sport, Dorrans said: "I find it strange hearing people say I'm the best player in the Championship.

"It's nice to get recognition for your performances during a season but the biggest compliment I've had is getting the Players' Player of the Year award.

"That's voted for by all the boys I train with every day and that means the most to me. It tells me I must be doing something right on a Saturday."

The then 23-year-old was the centre of a bid from West Ham following his incredible season, according to talkSPORT, but Dorrans penned a four-year contract with the Baggies.

Dorrans continued to be a key player for his team throughout the next few seasons in the Premier League but struggled for minutes under manager Steve Clarke.

Norwich City in 2015, initially on loan, before agreeing to a permanent deal.

Graham Dorrans' career after West Brom

Dorrans spent only two more seasons in England with Norwich, before returning to his home country of Scotland with Rangers and later Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic, and Johnstone Burgh, where he is still playing today.

Between Dundee and Dunfermline, Dorrans played one season for the Australian A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers in the 2020/21 season.

The Scotsman finished his career with 12 caps for his country.

Grahame Dorrans proved to be one of West Brom's smartest signings of recent times, and they will hope to find a similar gem in the future to propel them to the Premier League.