Steve Hermon (BBC Radio WM)
Head coach: James Morrison
Last season: 21st
Key arrivals: Barney Stewart (Falkirk), Jimmy-Jay Morgan (Chelsea, loan), Conor Townsend (Ipswich), Matt Ingram (Oxford United), Felix Horn Myhre (SK Brann), Rabby Nzingoula (Strasbourg)
Key departures: Jed Wallace (Bristol City), Karlan Grant (Charlton), Josh Maja (Le Havre), Daryl Dike (Orlando City), Josh Griffiths (Stoke)
Expectations: The hope is for a clear step up from last year’s near-miss with relegation. Morrison steadied the ship with a 10-match unbeaten streak and now takes the reins full-time. With two extra play-off places available, a club of Albion’s stature should target the top six, though with a younger, developing group, a top-half finish would still mark progress.
Strengths: Morrison’s turnaround was rooted in defensive discipline. He used a 4-4-2—uncommon these days—and kept players in natural roles. The result: seven clean sheets in the final nine games and more penalty-area entries thanks to adventurous full-backs, so it wasn’t cagey, just organized and energetic.
Weaknesses: Although shot volume rose under Morrison, finishing lagged. Only four teams scored fewer, and two of those went down (Oxford and Sheffield Wednesday). Lead striker Aune Heggebo managed nine league goals in his first season in England; he’ll need to kick on, and the entire side must share the scoring burden.
Difference-maker: Jimmy-Jay Morgan hit five in pre-season and looks lively, but he’s untested at this level, so expectations should be tempered. Felix Horn Myhre, 27, arrives from Brann with European experience and was described by a Norwegian journalist as the club’s “most important player.” If he settles quickly, he could be central to Albion’s plans.
Jobi’s prediction: 17th