West Brom will be hoping to secure Championship status under Eric Ramsay after a dismal season so far.

The Baggies are in serious danger of falling down the League One trapdoor, with the coming months critical to the club regaining stability after a difficult spell both on and off the field.

While Bilkul attempted to rebuild the squad, Ryan Mason, a former Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City player, was fired in January 2026 after only won nine of his 27 games in command.

And, so far, Ramsay’s appointment in the dugout has done little to instill confidence in the dressing room, albeit a goalless draw against Stoke City and a switch to a four-at-back formation may instill confidence and faith that the team can recover.

Regardless of how the season finishes and which division the Black Country team plays in, many players are nearing the conclusion of their contracts, providing the club the opportunity to restructure the roster and look ahead.

When it comes to exits, American forward Daryl Dike must be prioritized, since the frontman has been unable to stay fit for the majority of his nearly five-year tenure, and he is also failing to pull up many trees on the pitch.

After a disastrous £7 million investment, it appears like the club will have to bite the bullet and let him go on a free transfer at the conclusion of the season.

Daryl Dike struggles at West Brom

West Brom fans have been severely dissatisfied by Daryl Dike’s failure to stay on the pitch for much of his time at The Hawthorns.

Dike joined Albion for a reported £7 million deal from Orlando City in 2021, but made only two appearances in his first season, as a hamstring injury on his home debut against Peterborough United sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Heading into 2022-23 under Steve Bruce, the American international missed 19 games due to a thigh injury before achieving his longest run of playing time in an Albion shirt under Carlos Corberan, appearing in 22 straight games and scoring seven goals.

However, Dike had two devastating Achilles tendon ruptures during that and the following season, preventing him from making a sustained return to duty until February 2025, when Albion’s play-off dreams were dashed under Tony Mowbray.

In the 2025-26 season, Dike would miss the first nine games due to a thigh injury received in training, leaving him as the third-choice striker behind Ryan Mason.

Mason appeared only seven times and played 31 minutes of second-tier football in his six months at the club, with the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder plainly unable to trust Dike and instead opting for Aune Heggebo or Josh Maja.

Dike deserves credit for staying fit for the entirety of the 2025-26 season, and there is optimism for more playing time under Eric Ramsay.

Encouraging signs have included a 30-minute appearance off the bench against Derby County at Pride Park at the end of January, as well as starting last weekend’s stalemate with Stoke City for the first time since the final day of last season, though service was limited and he was unable to score.

West Brom should look to split ways with Daryl Dike at the end of this season.

In Daryl Dike’s debut against Stoke City and Albion’s FA Cup third round win over Swansea City under interim manager James Morrison, Dike flattered to deceive, and he’d need a lot more potency in the final third to warrant a new deal.

Of course, it’s difficult because he hasn’t played much football in recent years, and the rust is obvious. With more game time, he could develop back into the deadly Championship striker we’ve seen in years before, but for the time being, he doesn’t look to be a player the club should maintain on the books when he can’t reach the back of the net when called upon.

It remains to be seen whether his continued inclusion in the team for the rest of the season will have an impact on whether the club offers him a new contract. In actuality, Dike has played more games for West Brom in five seasons than you would expect in one or two, and they may not want to chance another injury that puts him out for a time, despite the fact that he hasn’t had any recent injury issues.

For all parties, it appears that Dike’s time at West Brom has come to an end. With increased competition in the forward department, the American international must join a club where he is guaranteed regular games and minutes, as that is the only way he will be able to restart his career and return to being the bullish frontman we saw at Barnsley in 2021.

While Dike has proven himself to be a quality Championship player, his tenure at West Brom has been nothing short of disastrous. The club has received very little return from such a significant investment on the playing side, and they are expected to receive nothing back from the £7 million they spent to obtain his services in the first place.

It’s certain to have given the West Brom management a headache with all of his problems, through no fault of his own, but it appears that the smartest course of action would be to call a halt to a partnership that appears destined to fail.