West Brom may have signed the wrong striker in the summer...

What was the word?

According to Express & Star reporter Joseph Masi, the Baggies were "looking at" Ivan Toney and were "in talks" over a potential move back in July.

It was then reported by Football Insider less than a month later that the door had opened for Albion to strike as the 6 foot 2 talisman was keen on securing a move to the top-flight.

The 25-year-old would go onto sign for former Championship rivals Brentford for an initial £5m, which could double with add-ons, as per Sky Sports.

Hawthorns chief Luke Dowling then settled for Huddersfield Town's Karlan Grant for over double the price at £12m - and only one of the two has been a success this season...

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Scoring for fun

Simply put, the decision to not pay just £5m for Toney is looking like one of West Brom's biggest mistakes in recent times.

Since arriving in west London, the former Newcastle United graduate has bagged a whopping 28 goals in just 36 appearances, whilst also providing nine assists - that's a direct goal contribution every 83.5 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

"Ivan is a special, special player," lauded Bees boss Thomas Frank after his main man surpassed the 20-goal mark last month. Whilst more recently, Toney has drawn comparisons to Harry Kane due to his astonishing numbers.

By comparison, Grant has struggled for goals and game time - managing just the solitary goal all season. It means he's contributed just one goal in 1,095 minutes of action.

£12m for one goal, whilst Brentford's shrewd recruitment have hit the jackpot once again. That initial £5m is a mere £178k per goal.

There is, of course, one factor that could swing in the Baggies' favour as the Championship is far below that of the Premier League, though Toney's record in League One at Peterborough (40 goals in 76 league apps) suggests he'll find the net at any level.

In just a few months, his value has skyrocketed - going from just £4.05m on arrival to now being worth £16.2m, as per Transfermarkt.

That only adds to West Brom's misery, and Dowling should be a little red-faced after his failure to secure a proper striker this season. Had Albion benefitted from the quality of Toney, then who knows, maybe their season would've gone down a different path.

AND in other news, Sam Allardyce repeating a big Slaven Bilic mistake at West Brom...