This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

West Brom are said to be rivalling Nottingham Forest and Derby County to the potential signing of Chelsea youngster Ike Ugbo on loan according to TEAMtalk

Premier League side West Ham are also interested in signing the young forward on loan ahead of the 2020/21 season.

Ugbo spent this year's league campaign on loan with Dutch side Roda JC, and has caught the eye with some impressive performances, having scored 13 goals in 29 appearances.

It remains to be seen as to what division West Brom will be playing their football in next season, with Slaven Bilic's side currently sat second in the Championship table, as they battle to win promotion into the Premier League.

But would Ugbo be a good addition to the West Brom team next season?

We discuss....

George Harbey: 

There are much better options out there, I feel.

A new striker is definitely needed for West Brom, regardless of whether they win promotion to the Premier League or not this term, as Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore have been massively underwhelming and I don't think Hal Robson-Kanu is good enough to be their main man up top.

Ugbo has clearly impressed over in Holland, scoring a decent amount of goals for Roda, but I have my doubts over whether he's good enough to fire in the goals potentially for a Premier League side next term.

He needs a loan move to the Championship first, in my opinion, in order to settle into life back in England, before even thinking about moving to the top-flight.

Sam Rourke: 

I'd avoid in all honesty.

When Ugbo has plied his trade in the EFL, he didn't set the world alight and struggled to score on a consistent basis.

Granted, the Chelsea man was only 19/20 years old when playing in the EFL and his stint at Roda this season has been impressive, with him notching 13 league goals.

From West Brom's perspective, they could find themselves in the Premier League next season and if that is the case, a move for Ugbo should be avoided.

The Baggies need to be signing proven, clinical goalscorers who will give them the firepower to stay in the top-flight, and not chancing it on promising Chelsea youngsters.

EVen if West Brom stay in the second tier, I feel they should be looking elsewhere other than Ugbo and think again, they need a goalscorer who has been proven to score in the Championship.

There are plenty of other teams who are a better fit for Ugbo.

Can you identify these West Brom players by looking at these pixilated images? Test your knowledge in our quiz!

 

Alfie Burns: 

In my opinion, West Brom’s options at the top of the field aren’t good enough and the fact that they are where they are in the Championship table is astounding given they’ve not got a prolific attacker.

So, Bilic is going to have to bring in some firepower in the summer and Ugbo might be a decent place to start; he’s young, hungry and is already showing that he’s got a keen eye for a goal.

Given he’s on the books at Chelsea, he’s obviously a good player, it’s just whether he gets a chance and grabs it at a decent level whilst out on loan.

Whether West Brom are in the Premier League or Championship, they could be a good place for Ugbo to go and develop, with game time really likely there given the flat options Bilic currently possesses.

There is risk to it, of course, but that’s the case with a lot of deals and I’d be quite intrigued to see this one pan out.