West Brom praised for Darnell Furlong transfer call - "decent" Ipswich Town combination tipped | OneFootball

Albion are set to lose another experienced figure to the Tractor Boys

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Bromwich Albion have seen plenty of first-team regulars depart in recent weeks and months, and that theme is set to continue ahead of next Monday's 7PM transfer deadline.

The Baggies' defence has been severely changed since the conclusion of last season, with Mason Holgate returning to Everton after a disappointing loan stint, Semi Ajayi and Gianluca Frabotta departed on free transfers, whilst Kyle Bartley announced his retirement and Torbjorn Heggem moved to Serie A side, Bologna, for £10m.

The new head coach, Ryan Mason, has somewhat remedied those losses with the captures of Nat Phillips and Krystian Bielik from Liverpool and Birmingham City respectively, whilst Chris Mepham's switch from AFC Bournemouth is also imminent.

However, with just days remaining in the summer window, Albion are also set to lose the services of Darnell Furlong, who will reportedly link up with plenty of ex-colleagues who also played at The Hawthorns in a seven-figure move to Ipswich Town.

It was first reported by John Percy - the Telegraph's Midlands football correspondent - that the former Queens Park Rangers man had been the subject of an initial £3.5m bid which was accepted by Albion, who will also receive a further £500,000 should Kieran McKenna's side prove many pre-season predictions right and make a swift return to the Premier League.

It has also been claimed by Stuart Watson of the East Anglian Daily Telegraph that Furlong's expected switch to Portman Road could pave the way for Ben Johnson's exit, just a year after the full-back moved to Suffolk from West Ham United.

The 29-year-old has been on the Baggies' books since 2019, having been recruited by Slaven Bilic for just £1.5m. Therefore, all things considered, Football League World's West Brom fan pundit, Callum Burgess, believes the club have got themselves a smart deal for the experienced defender.

"I think getting a fee rising up to £4m for Furlong is a good deal from Albion's point of view," Burgess told FLW.

"In the last 12 months or so, the fans have started to notice a bit of a decline from him. Outside of his long-throws, he's a steady right-back, but I'd probably say he's quite replaceable, really," he added.

"Albion could probably look to get a younger alternative for a similar fee and improve them over time, and they could become a better right-back than him.

"Having said that, having him at right-back as a steady option compared to Leif Davis, who bombs on down the left, could be a decent pairing for Ipswich, whether or not he does become a starter there," Burgess claimed.

"I think £4m for Furlong is definitely a good fee for Albion."

West Brom would need to source adequate Darnell Furlong replacement

Amid this expected departure which would see Furlong reunite with the likes of Alex Palmer, Dara O'Shea, Cedric Kipre and Conor Townsend in Suffolk, it has been claimed by Gregg Evans of the Athletic that West Brom will look to replace him and Tom Fellows in the window's final days, with the winger set to join Southampton for £10m.

Caleb Taylor is also nearing a departure to Millwall, meaning further depth in the defensive areas is required, especially with Furlong the club's only natural right-back at present. Krystian Bielik has the capability to feature at full-back, having done so on occasions for Birmingham during their record-breaking season last term.

As Burgess alluded to, Furlong is likely to be a dependable option for Ipswich given his differing attributes to that of Davis on the other flank, and he looks set to leave Albion with a record of 11 goals and 14 assists in 247 appearances.