Premier League 14/15: Team By Team Preview And Predictions

18. West Bromwich Albion

Last Season: 17th Manager: Alan Irvine Opening Fixture: Sunderland (h) Transfer Activity: Having lost several experienced players this summer including Liam Ridgewell, Steven Reid, Zoltan Gera, as well as the likes of Diego Lugano, Scott Allan, George Thorne and Billy Jones, it was vital that West Brom strengthened the side sufficiently. In fact, they have made eight signings, most notably striker Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kiev) who has joined for a club-record fee believed to be £10million. Sebastien Pocognoli (Hannover), Jason Davidson (Heracles) and Cristian Gamboa (Rosenborg) are the other three players for which Albion have paid a fee, although Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), Chris Baird (Burnley) and Craig Gardner (Sunderland) have joined on free transfers too, and Andre Wisdom (Liverpool) has signed on a season-long loan after impressing at Derby in the Championship last season. Possible Starting XI: Foster; Wisdom, McAuley, Olsson, Pocognoli; Yacob, Mulumbu; Morrison, Gardner, Brunt; Ideye Key Player: Brown Ideye Verdict: It's hard to see where the goals are going to come from for West Brom this year and so whether or not record signing Brown Ideye hits the ground running could go a long way to deciding the Baggies' Premier League fate. It often takes foreign strikers a season to adapt to the unique style of the Premier League, take Roberto Soldado, Andrei Shevchenko and Diego Forlan's debut seasons as just a few examples, but given his hefty price-tag Ideye will enjoy no such luxury of having time to adapt - otherwise he might find himself having to adjust to the Championship too. That said, West Brom do have their strengths and their defence is certainly one of those, they have four quality centre-backs in Joleon Lescott, Jonas Olsson, Craig Dawson and 2013 Player of the Year Gareth McAuley. Alan Irvine was not every West Brom fan's first choice as manager to say the least, with many believing that chairman Jeremy Peace chose the cheaper option with the likes of Tim Sherwood available, and the negativity surrounding the appointment could lead to relegation for West Brom, especially if they do not get off to a good start. Prediction: 18th