West Bromwich Albion are reportedly interested in Leyton Orient youngster Daniel Nkrumah and the teenager could prove to be a repeat of Brandon Thomas-Asante at the Hawthorns.
According to journalist Alan Nixon, West Brom and Middlesbrough are battling it out to sign the youngster this month, with an enquiry having already been made by the Baggies.
Nkrumah only broke into Leyton Orient's first team last season, making seven appearances for the O's in all competitions, but he has been sent out on loan to Welling United in the National League South recently, with Richie Wellens no doubt prioritising the club's automatic promotion push rather than developing youngsters at this moment in time.
The forward boasts one goal in his four appearances for Welling and recently saw his loan extended until the end of the campaign, so it will be interesting to see how he develops in the sixth tier over the next few months.
Upon signing his first professional contract at Brisbane Road, Nkrumah earned plenty of praise from former manager Kenny Jackett.
He said:
“We felt he excelled in pre-season and has regularly been training with the first team group. Although he’s still 17 years old, we felt he had earned a professional deal, and to continue to aid his progress in every way he can.”
“He has a great attitude, he’s humble and he’s hard-working. These are good qualities if you want to make it, so I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Should he complete a move to Carlos Corberan's side this month, he will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of Thomas-Asante, who has adapted to the Championship extremely well after impressing in League Two with Salford City.
The 24-year-old striker has seven goals in his first 19 appearances for the Baggies and looks set to be an important part of Corberan's side as West Brom look to continue their surge up the Championship table.
Like Nkrumah, the young striker spent time out on loan in non-league but didn't really pull up any trees, only really coming to the fore for Salford last season in the fourth tier.
Therefore, with the right development, there seems no reason why Nkrumah can't progress in the same way as Thomas-Asante and become a big success with the Baggies in the future, should Lai Guochuan complete a deal for him this month.