West Bromwich Albion are battling for promotion to the Premier League this season.
The Baggies have endured a turbulent couple of years back in the Championship, but Carlos Corberan has raised optimism among supporters about the future.
A change in ownership has only strengthened that feeling among the fans, with Guochuan Lai’s tenure in charge proving quite unpopular.
However, the club’s transfer record was broken multiple times during the Chinese businessman’s time at The Hawthorns.
Here we look back at the six most expensive signings in West Brom’s history and see where those players are now…
| West Brom’s top six most expensive signings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Fee (£) | ||
| Jay Rodriguez | 12 million | ||
| Salomón Rondon | 12 million | ||
| Nacer Chadli | 13 million | ||
| Oliver Burke | 15 million | ||
| Karlan Grant | 15 million | ||
| Grady Diangana | 18 million | ||
Jay Rodriguez
Jay Rodriguez was signed during the summer of 2017, not long after Lai took the reins as owner of the club.
The forward arrived from Southampton for a fee worth a reported £12 million, spending two years with the West Midlands outfit before departing.
Rodriguez made the switch to Burnley in 2019, where he continues to ply his trade.
The forward helped the Clarets gain Premier League promotion last season, but the team looks set to come straight back down at the first attempt this term.
Salomón Rondon
Salomón Rondon joined the Baggies for what was then a club-record fee of £12 million in the summer of 2015.
The striker arrived from Russian side Zenit St Petersburg, and became a crucial part of the West Brom squad.
Rondon initially departed the Baggies on loan in 2018, signing for Newcastle United, before leaving on a permanent basis in 2019 for Chinese side Dalian Professional.
The 34-year-old returned to English football with Everton in 2021, but has since departed again for River Plate and then Mexican outfit Pachuca.
Nacer Chadli
Nacer Chadli signed for West Brom in the summer of 2016 from Tottenham Hotspur.
The deal was worth a reported £13 million, with the midfielder becoming a club-record signing at the time.
Chadli spent two years at the Hawthorns before making the switch to Ligue 1 side Monaco.
The now 34-year-old went on to sign for Anderlecht and İstanbul Başakşehir before ending up at Belgian side Westerlo.
Oliver Burke
Oliver Burke was another club record signing, with the Scot joining the club in the summer of 2017 in a deal worth £15 million.
The 26-year-old endured a difficult few years with the Midlands side before departing again in 2020.
He went on to sign for Sheffield United, where he also spent time on loan with Millwall before exiting the Blades in 2022.
Burke has since signed for German side Werder Bremen, with the player currently out on loan with Championship rival Birmingham City.
Karlan Grant
Karlan Grant signed for West Brom in the summer of 2020, arriving from Huddersfield Town in a deal worth a reported £15 million.
The forward enjoyed a successful 2021-22 campaign at the Hawthorns, scoring 18 league goals from 44 appearances (per Fbref), but he has since struggled to get back to that level of consistency for the Baggies.
This led to his temporary departure last summer, joining rivals Cardiff City on loan for the current campaign.
Grady Diangana
Grady Diangana signed for the Baggies in a deal that could rise as high as £18 million in the summer of 2020 following their promotion to the top flight.
The DR Congo international had spent the previous campaign on loan from West Ham, playing a crucial role in their rise to the Premier League.
The 25-year-old remains at The Hawthorns and has become a key player in the team under Corberan as they attempt to once again gain promotion.
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