Since Tony Mowbray took over as West Brom manager, the Baggies have had a mixed run of form as they try to maintain their position in the Championship’s top six.

Albion began the 61-year-old’s second tenure in charge with a 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough before defeating relegation-threatened Portsmouth 5-1 at The Hawthorns. However, Albion suffered another away defeat last weekend, losing 2-1 to second-tier bottom boys Plymouth Argyle in the dying minutes. The former Blackburn and Sunderland coach will be looking for consistency to keep Albion in contention for the top six by the end of the season, and he is still looking for his best starting lineup. Club captain Jed Wallace, who previously played for Millwall, has seen his West Brom future rekindled in the early stages under Mowbray, starting the last two Championship games.

 

In the win over Pompey, the 30-year-old scored his first second-tier goal in the blue and white stripes since April 2024, leading the line in the absence of Josh Maja and Daryl Dike.

With Albion’s plans for who will lead the line in the short term uncertain, Wallace could continue to play the role, given Nigerian international Josh Maja is out until the spring and Daryl Dike is expected to be eased back into action after suffering a serious Achilles injury. West Brom fan analyst Callum Burgess has weighed in on whether Wallace, who has gone from being an outcast to a first-team regular due to a coaching change, has a future at B71 after this season.

Jed Wallace set to play crucial role in attacking absences

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess feels Wallace has a role to play in the near future, but warns that he might return to the bench once other attacking alternatives return. Burgess told FLW: “The future was looking gloomy for Jed Wallace until Tony Mowbray arrived, with him getting as many starts since Mowbray took over as he did in the previous four months, so he’ll be relishing that. “He scored against Portsmouth and led the line fairly well, linking up play. Against Plymouth, he did not contribute much, but he did step up and play a part in the goal to assist Jayson. Molumby, so you’d think he would have more of a role to play than many would have foreseen before the transfer window given he now seems to be above Karlan Grant in the pecking order.”

Burgess added: “I think it might be important that Will Lankshear gets more minutes to see what he can contribute to the team, and, while we wait for Josh Maja and Daryl Dike to return, the striker position appears to be up for grabs between those two, but Mowbray’s plan for now will be to play Wallace as a false nine, as he did with Amad Diallo at Sunderland. “While the Albion attack is so hit by injuries, that’s the extent of where Wallace’s minutes will come from, so when numbers eventually come back into the team, I think he’ll return to being a bit-part player as he was playing previously.”

Jed Wallace’s West Brom future doesn’t look promising

There’s no doubt that Jed Wallace will continue to play regularly for West Brom in the coming weeks, with Will Lankshear still settling in at the club and Devante Cole failing to impress since joining from Barnsley last summer. Wallace will have to do everything he can to impress in the future games if he wants to continue in Mowbray’s plans, as competition for spots is expected to heat up when Josh Maja and Daryl Dike return after long absences.

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