West Brom thought they landed "quality" £10m recruit - it cost Alan Irvine more than most | OneFootball

West Brom's record-breaking signing who cost his manager his job within 5 months and left within a year.

One West Bromwich Albion 2014/15 summer addition had all Baggies bouncing in excitement, but quickly burst the bubble, leaving chaos in his wake.

Historically, West Brom have been a small but mighty force in the transfer window, predominantly finding success through low-budget, shrewd additions like Jonas Olsson, who arrived at The Hawthorns in 2008 for £800,000 and went on to make 261 appearances for the club.

More recently, the club saw major success acquiring Brazilian midfield maestro, Matheus Pereira, a creative delight that dazzled Baggies fans registering 20 goals and 26 assists in his tenure, and was instrumental in returning the club to the Premier League in 2020 (stats per FotMob).

But it's safe to say West Brom have not always found the greatest success with their big-money additions.

£15 million man and former Scottish transfer record holder, Oliver Burke, forewent the opportunity of Champions League football with German giants RB Leipzig to come to The Hawthorns, playing only 20 times for the club and scoring just once before leaving the Midlands in 2020 (stats per FotMob).

But far before this disaster, there was one that should have set the example of the possible danger of big-money additions and should have made the West Brom recruitment team take a second look at the former Nottingham Forest youngster.

That example was set by Brown Ideye.

A record-breaking transfer when Baggies needed it most

Ideye arrived at The Hawthorns in the summer window of 2014/15 after a tumultuous year prior, where the Baggies only narrowly avoided relegation by three points.

The disappointing campaign saw the dismissal of manager Pepe Mel at its close, who was replaced in June by former Crystal Palace player, Alan Irvine.

But quickly there was again optimism bouncing around The Hawthorns as on the 18th of July 2014, it was announced that West Brom had broken their club record transfer fee, spending £10m (roughly £20m in modern finances per The Transfer Index) on 25-year-old Nigerian international, Brown Ideye.

Such a coup was unusual for the Baggies, who had grown accustomed to being one of the smaller spenders of the division which had yielded successful results.

But after sporting director and former academy manager, Dan Ashworth left the club after over 9 years in the summer of 2013, this was a statement of a change in philosophy (stats per Transfermarkt).

It was hoped the big money addition would be key to ensuring the Baggies were once again stable in the top flight, bringing an impressive goal record and Champions League pedigree to the Midlands after the Super Eagle earned a call-up for the 2010 World Cup.

Irivne himself expressed his excitement at the addition.

He told the club site: “Brown is a quality striker and I’m looking forward to working with him.

“He’s a strong, quick, powerful player who likes to get in behind defences and has plenty of Champions League and international experience.

“It is a fantastic signing because of the quality and the potential of the player. I can see that he really wants to be here and that he really wants to be playing in the Premier League.”

But it didn't take long for Baggies fans to become concerned before he even played a minute on the pitch.

A "quality", "powerful" addition that packed little punch and provided little quality

Despite telling the club site of his excitement at the prospect of managing the 25-year-old marksman because of the assets he possessed, Irvine quickly undercut his statement.

Only a week later in an interview with Sky Sports, Irvine confessed: "I don't know much about Brown Ideye.

"I've not seen him live.

"It's not necessarily something that is detrimental to me not to have seen him live, though ideally, I would like to because that's how I like to do my work."

The manager's lack of knowledge about his spotlight summer signing quickly troubled West Brom fans and even quicker gathered more clarity when Ideye was seen on the pitch.

The Nigerian international failed to make a lasting impression in his introduction at The Hawthorns, appearing he lacked the quick decision-making and physicality for the English game, and most importantly the finishing, as he was unable to find the back of the net for the first time until the 25th of September.

Ideye eventually scored in a 3-2 Capital One Cup victory over Hull City, and Irvine hoped this could be an ignition for the striker opening his account, after initially citing difficulty finding domesticity as the reason for the slow start and that patience needed to be key as the striker was developmental.

"He has just moved into a new house this week," he said. "Other things, too, have to be dealt with and adjustments have to be made, but players get settled once they’re out of hotels."

“Brown is one who’s been thrown in at the deep end,” said Irvine. “If Victor Anichebe hadn’t been injured, he wouldn’t have gone into the side as quickly as he did."

Even as the Baggies began to struggle, suffering as slow a start to the campaign as Ideye, the former Eagle continued to back his man promising Baggies that more was to come.

“West Brom wouldn’t have spent that money lightly", he told Birmingham Mail.

But unfortunately, Irvine wouldn't be the man tasked with transforming the struggling striker into a Baggies success story for much longer.

A new West Brom era began and one Ideye would play little part in

The West Brom manager was sacked on the 30th of December 2014 after a spell of seven losses in their previous nine games, sending the side to the danger zone of the division, sitting in just 16th and only one point above the drop zone.

It was hard to look past the missing marksman for at least some degree of the blame, with the expectation not just Ideye's fee commands but also his wages, the Nigerian simply had to do more.

The now 35-year-old was pocketing an estimated £52,000 per week from the club, which in relation to the Baggies bill of today is £20,000 more than West Brom's highest earner, Daryl Dike (stats per Capology).

Ideye netted just once during the tenure of Irvine and has since expressed his regret and guilt in the sacking of the former Eagle, confessing to The Mirror at feeling somewhat responsible.

“Unfortunately I can’t turn back the hands of time," he said. "Alan really did encourage me, but I didn’t pick it up fast enough. I’m sorry.”

As Tony Pulis became the man to replace Alan Irvine in The Hawthorns dug-out, it became quickly apparent that Ideye's days were numbered.

The taskmaster's unmistakable pragmatic style saw the Baggies stabilise and stay in the division, but the forward lacked the focus and ability with his back to goal to suit the style.

Within six months of the appointment, the Baggies sold their record signing to Greek side Olympiakos in the 2015 summer window, only managing to recoup €5m of the initial €12m invested as Ideye left The Hawthorns only a year after joining.

Leaving an underwhelming legacy at the club, Ideye scored just 7 goals and provided 2 assists in this period, which is one Alan Irvine, Baggies fans, and even Brown Ideye would likely all equally love to forget (stats per Transfermarkt).

Ideye left the Baggies to again find his goalscoring feet but never managed to deliver the quality, power or goals that were promised to West Brom fans, and instead nearly cost them their place in the top flight.