"Nothing more" - Claim made on Daryl Dike's West Brom future as Baggies contract decision looms | OneFootball

FLW's West Brom fan pundit has been discussing the Albion future of Daryl Dike.

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…

As they head into a summer of change at The Hawthorns, there is a debate surrounding the future of United States international striker Daryl Dike.

The 25-year-old striker joined the Baggies in the winter transfer window of 2022 for a fee believed to be in the region of £7 million from Orlando City, having previously impressed on loan at Barnsley at the back end of the 2020/21 campaign.

The Oklahoma-born forward has endured an injury-hit time at Albion, though, only being able to make 39 Championship appearances in the three-and-a-half seasons that he has been at the club.

With just 12 months remaining on his contract, there is natural speculation that the Baggies could try and get some money back for him in this transfer window, but that is not something many West Brom supporters would want to see.

Claim made on Daryl Dike's West Brom future

Dike has managed just two seasons whereby he has made it into double figures for appearances since signing for West Brom, with his best scoring campaign coming in the 2022/23 season, when he bagged seven goals in 23 Championship games.

Having hit nine in 21 for Barnsley and also having an impressive record for Orlando, it is clear that there is real quality in the attacker, and that is something that has led our West Brom fan pundit, Callum Burgess, to long for ahead of this summer.

Callum said: “There is nothing more that Albion fans want to see than Daryl Dike at his very best next season.

“He’s had a horrid time with injury over the last few years but he has started to get back into good shape towards the end of the season, and he managed to score on the final day against Luton, and put in a good performance overall.

“I think with a pre-season under his belt and signs that his body is starting to hold up, that he’s able to share minutes with other options up-front, whether it is Josh Maja or others, I think Albion definitely could get the best out of Daryl Dike.

“Whether or not he stays with 12 months left on his contract is another question.”

It remains to be seen whether Dike features in Ryan Mason's West Brom plans

Having lost manager Carlos Corberan to Valencia mid-way through the campaign and then sacking Tony Mowbray with just a couple of games of the season left, West Brom headed into this summer with a lot of work to do.

Experienced first-teamers such as Semi Ajayi, Grady Diangana and John Swift are among those to have already departed the club, whilst Tottenham Hotspur coach Ryan Mason has been appointed as the new boss at The Hawthorns.

Mason will want to put his own stamp on the side, with the expectation being that they challenge for at least a top six finish in the 2025/26 campaign.

As such, it remains to be seen just how heavily Dike features in his Albion plans, in what is a vital 2025/26 season in prospect for the American given his contract situation.

He will surely be desperate to make an impression on the new boss in pre-season, and with West Brom being Mason's first full-time managerial role, it's unclear as of yet what formation and tactical approach he'll deploy, and whether Dike fits into it.