West Brom told to "replicate Brighton and Brentford" as Torbjorn Heggem transfer stance praised | OneFootball

West Brom signed the defender last summer for £500,000

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 are in talks to sell Torbjorn Heggem to Italian side Bologna.

The Norwegian signed for Albion from Swedish side Brommapojkarna last summer and was a hugely impressive performer throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

It was revealed by The Athletic that West Brom received a €6.5 million (£5.6 million) offer for the 26-year-old from Bologna but decided to turn it down.

The Express and Star have claimed that the Baggies are negotiating over a £10 million deal for Heggem, just a year on from outlaying £500,000 for the defender.

FLW's resident West Bromwich Albion fan pundit, Callum Burgess, believes that the Black Country outfit would benefit from selling Heggem in the long term.

West Bromwich Albion praised over Torbjorn Heggem stance

FLW asked Callum whether he believes a £10 million sale of Heggem would represent good business by West Brom considering their outlay for him just last year, or if the club should be holding out for an even higher sum.

In Callum's view, however, the fee would come as both good value and a strong sign of a sustainable approach to recruitment from the Championship side, who have been urged to replicate progressive and upwardly-mobile clubs such Brentford and Brighton in buying talent on the cheap before making significant profit through sales.

“I think getting £10 million for Heggem would represent good value,” stated Callum.

“It would be very helpful if the club are trying to replicate the likes of Brentford and Brighton with a similar project where they were able to sign players for cheap and then go on and sell them for superb funds in the future.

“I think it's the model that Albion have to be looking at doing as we try to aim to get back into the Premier League, and if they do end up offering £10 million for him, it's definitely what he'd be worth because I think he's a very talented defender and two-footed as well which helps.

“So, I think that it would be a good move for him to go to Bologna, who are very competitive in Serie A. I think that it would also be very helpful as Albion try to bring in some more quality players in the remainder of the window.

“We knew that Albion would end up having at least one major sale. The majority of us expected it to be Tom Fellows, but if it does end up being Heggem that goes, we've had a good year from him, and I think that £10 million would be a fair price.”

West Bromwich Albion can’t turn down £10m Torbjorn Heggem offer

If Bologna are willing to match West Brom’s £10 million valuation of Heggem, then Ryan Mason and Co. must be willing to let the defender leave immediately.

Although the 26-year-old’s quality was clear to see last term, a transfer fee of that size can’t simply be dismissed.

Using that money to reinvest in the squad would provide West Brom with a much higher chance of fighting for promotion next season, which is the ultimate aim for the Black Country outfit.

Therefore, although losing Heggem would hurt Albion’s defence in the short term, his sale could be a brilliant opportunity for the club to stake their claim at a place in the top-flight once more.