Their next Gareth Barry: West Brom could sign 'superb' midfielder

West Bromwich Albion supporters would have been over the moon with their side come the end of the opening day of the new Championship season, as Carlos Corberan‘s men romped home to a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers down in West London.

Josh Maja was the unlikeliest of goalscoring heroes at Loftus Road, firing in a hat-trick to help his side emphatically pick up three points on their travels, with Brandon Thomas-Asante’s exit from the Hawthorns opening the door for him to now be the main man up top.

Corberan will also know that more new recruits will be needed, however, despite this fantastic performance to kickstart the new campaign, as he eyes up a new defensive midfielder to partner Alex Mowatt, away from his striker numbers.

West Brom looking at Newcastle United midfielder

As per reports from journalist Mike McGrath earlier this week, West Brom have been considering a loan move for Isaac Hayden to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

Newcastle United are more than willing to allow their forgotten number 45 another opportunity to impress out on loan having played for West Brom’s opening day opponents Queens Park Rangers last campaign briefly away from St James’ Park, alongside the fact Hayden plied his trade momentarily out in Belgium with Standard Liege.

Now, it looks to be another EFL destination on the cards, as the likes of Hull City are also intrigued about snapping up the 29-year-old’s short-term services, alongside his ex-loan employers QPR swooping back in.

West Brom will hope they can accelerate to the front of the queue, knowing that more bodies in the holding positions are needed, with Nathaniel Chalobah and Okay Yokuslu no longer on the books for the Baggies.

How Hayden could be West Brom’s next Barry

The eligible Jamaica international could become West Brom’s next Gareth Barry if he signs on the dotted line, operating as a steady head for Corberan’s men from a holding role with a wealth of top-flight experience under his belt.

Hayden would arrive at the Hawthorns as one of the more senior faces in the ranks, alongside other seasoned professionals such as Kyle Bartley and Darnell Furlong at the back.

Despite falling down the pecking order at the Magpies of late, the 29-year-old midfielder has still managed to amass 118 Premier League games across his Newcastle career, on top of 82 games in the second tier playing for other teams. Not quite as many as Barry it must be said.

Hayden (23/24) vs Barry’s last full season @ West Brom (17/18)
*Stat ( = per 90 mins)**	Hayden	Barry
Games played	17	25
Goals scored	0	1
Assists	0	1
Touches*	35.4	47.5
Big chances created	1	2
Accurate passes*	23.0 (87%)	28.4 (76%)
Interceptions*	1.5	0.6
Tackles*	1.5	1.4
Clearances*	1.2	1.3
Total duels won*	3.3	4.2
Stats by Sofascore

Hayden will hope he can become West Brom’s next Barry if a loan approach is successful, with his numbers at Loftus Road last campaign not too dissimilar to Barry’s 2017/18 output, with the fringe Newcastle man showing off his ability to win duels like the Premier League great, alongside his accuracy on the ball bettering that of the now 43-year-old.

Barry would bow out from his playing days not long after the campaign in question, with Hayden hopeful that he can re-energise his own career with a move to the Hawthorns before he stares his retirement in the face.

Corberan won’t be overly convinced about sticking with Jayson Molumby as Mowatt’s partner going forward, with the Irishman only winning three of his nine duels attempted at Loftus Road, and so Hayden could slot into the team nicely next to the ex-Leeds United man.

Mowatt shone on the opening day on the contrary, with 89 touches of the ball amassed as a key cog for Corberan’s team advancing forward, and so Hayden – who was once described as “superb” by Newcastle icon Alan Shearer – could offer the Baggies some necessary grit alongside their midfield star.