West Bromwich Albion will aim to make it three games unbeaten in the Championship when travelling to Stoke City this coming weekend, with confidence sky-high currently at the Hawthorns.
The Baggies didn't get the better of Leeds United in their second contest of the new league campaign, but a 0-0 draw with Daniel Farke's men isn't to be sniffed at, with four points from a possible six already on the board, after a comfortable 3-1 victory at Queens Park Rangers on the opening day.
Still, Carlos Corberan and Co will know that adding in more new recruits through the door will undoubtedly help in the long run, especially if they want to be pushing for promotion again, with this new midfielder now in talks to join.
West Brom pushing ahead to sign loanee
As per a report by the Express and Star, West Brom are pushing ahead to try and tempt Serbian midfielder Uros Racic to join the ranks this summer, with the Sassuolo gem potentially joining on a loan deal.
Standing at a towering 6 foot 4 frame, Racic is being touted as an ideal replacement for Okay Yokuslu, who is back in his native Turkey, to the widespread disappointment of the Baggies fanbase.
Yet, if they can now win the services of a new brute force in the middle of the park in Racic, any lingering dismay about the former fan favourite leaving will be quashed. The Serb is certainly some talent, having once been linked with a £28m move to Manchester United back in 2020, while boasting a £92m release clause at the time.
Moreover, away from Racic's skill set lending itself to him being an ideal Yokuslu replacement, picking up the Sassuolo number six could also see the Baggies abandon any further approaches for fellow target Callum Styles, with the Serbia international offering more cover in the middle.
What Racic can offer West Brom
Much like Styles, who has been known to hammer home a tremendous long-range strike for Barnsley during his stay at the Tykes, Racic also has a screamer in his back pocket, seen in the thunderous effort above sailing in against Atletico Madrid when he was on the books at Valencia.
The 26-year-old defensive midfielder also lined up on one occasion in the centre-back spots for Valencia when drafted out on loan to Spain, with Styles also known to be a versatile figure who can play all over the pitch if necessary, even lining up in defence at left-back when needed.
Stat – per 90 mins
Racic
Styles
Total shots
1.87
0.78
Shot-creating actions
1.87
1.90
Attempted passes
43.46
47.01
Pass completion %
81.3%
79.1%
Progressive passes
4.06
3.46
Tackles
1.10
2.46
Blocks
1.76
1.12
Clearances
2.41
1.67
Aerials won
1.32
0.56
Bettering Styles in a number of different areas of their respective games over the last year too, when glancing at the table above, Racic's also no-nonsense game shines through, with more clearances and duels won than his Hungarian counterpart.
He could well be West Brom's next Yokuslu in the making, therefore, who has managed to win 2.25 duels on average per 90 minutes over the last year, in comparison.
Racic might well become even more of a brute when moving to England, to attempt to match these higher numbers, knowing that Alex Mowatt will operate as the more creative option out of the potential holding duo.
Swooping in for the 12-time Serbia international would also see the Baggies continue to shop in left-field European markets, which has already paid off, with new Norwegian recruit Torbjørn Heggem winning six duels against Leeds last time out.
Racic could now enter through the door and continue this successful transfer approach, as Corberan continues to try and add new players into what still looks like somewhat of a threadbare camp in the West Midlands.
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