West Brom given big boost in attempts to sign 'excellent' creator; he won't cost a penny

Rumoured West Brom transfer target Conor Hourihane will leave Aston Villa when his current deal ends this summer, coming as a boost for the Baggies.

Steve Bruce will be hoping for a productive summer transfer window as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2021/22 season for Albion overall.

A number of new faces are expected to come in, and one player who has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns in the recent past is Hourihane.

The Baggies have been given fresh hope of signing the 31-year-old, who has been hailed as ‘excellent’ by his former manager Steve Cooper in the past.

As per a report from Football League World, Hourihane will be released by Villa when his contract expires at the end of this month, meaning that the Irishman will be available on a free transfer.

That could alert Bruce as he potentially looks to snap up the midfielder from West Brom’s Midlands rivals.

At 31, Hourihane may not be at his peak these days, but he remains a formidable Championship player, with 31 goals and 35 assists in the second tier of English football.

For that reason, he would appear to be a shrewd prospective signing for the Baggies, providing valuable experience for what will hopefully be a promotion push, along with an ability to unpick opposition defences. His match average of 1.3 key passes from the most recent campaign was surpassed only by Alex Mowatt at The Hawthorns (with 1.4).

Hourihane registered four assists on loan at Sheffield United last season, helping them to reach the play-offs, and this level of creativity could help West Brom to become more prolific in the final third next time around, having scored just 52 league goals in 2021/22.

In other news, one pundit has dropped a significant West Brom transfer