Albion’s international contingent will be glad to see the end of the international break, with the Baggies needing to pick themselves up following a woeful Black Country derby effort.

The Baggies have been stewing over a 1-0 defeat to arch rivals Wolves at Molineux over the last three weeks — their worst performance of the season by a long way.

Albion have been quite impressive in the early stages of the 2026-27 campaign with the Black Country outfit fifth in the Championship standings with 14 points from their opening eight league games. The Baggies will want to return to winning ways as quickly as possible to keep their early promotion charge intact.

And when they return to domestic action it is another derby to get down into, with West Brom returning on home turf to face Birmingham City, that again likely to be a raucous encounter.

One player Albion will be hoping to step up in a game of this magnitude will be Isaac Price, who has had a poor start to the season but can on his day be such a destructive presence in the final third.

And that was evident in his latest international duty with Northern Ireland and despite missing a penalty in the closing stages of their Nations League draw with Georgia this week, Price was heavily praised by former Northern Ireland internationals Stuart Dallas and David Healy for his overall contribution.

Those rave reviews might make Price a hot property in January and the Baggies will have to ready themselves for fresh interest in the new year if he can hold on to that form for club and country.

West Brom’s promising Championship start

West Brom fans will be happy to be back near the top of the second tier table having battled their way to survival under James Morrison at the end of last term and enjoyed a strong start to the season.

Albion kicked off their term with an excellent 2-1 away win at Norwich City and then followed it up with a 3-1 triumph at The Hawthorns against newly demoted Burnley to win their opening two fixtures.

Championship table (as at 6 October 2026)

Pos Team P GD Pts 1st Swansea City 8 +7 17 2nd West Ham 8 +11 15 3rd Middlesbrough 8 +4 15 4th Wolves 8 +5 14 5th West Brom 8 +2 14 6th QPR 8 +3 13

Their first defeat of the campaign came on the road against promotion-contenders Middlesbrough but they stemmed the rot with a home draw against Charlton Athletic and then consecutive wins against Watford and Derby County.

Then the Baggies went onto draw 1-1 against fellow high-flyers Queens Park Rangers before a very disappointing showing and result against Wolves meaning Albion have taken 14 points from a potential 24.

Isaac Price’s start to the 2026-27 season

Isaac Price has divided opinion at The Hawthorns with many supporters disappointed with his inconsistency in terms of providing goals and assists but he is clearly a key asset in terms of his work rate and pressing off the ball.

Price has again had a promising start to the new season in the blue and white stripes, just like last season when he scored four goals in his first three league games, bagging two goals and an assist in the second tier so far, and also scoring a couple of goals in the Carabao Cup.

His two league goals both came in a brace against Burnley in their first home game of the campaign and a superb display from the midfielder helped Albion to record an important 3-1 triumph.

The following midweek, the Baggies put in a spirited display in the second round of the Carabao Cup against Premier League outfit Newcastle United as they went down 3-2 but Price scored both of their goals, including a clever free-kick around the wall from an improbable angle which bamboozled goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen.

Price recorded his first assist of the new term in the Baggies’ defeat at Middlesbrough just days later, setting up Jimmy-Jay Morgan for a superb header to get the contest level at the time, before they slumped to a depressing 3-1 loss.

Price’s impact on Morrison’s set-up has also been underlined by the minutes he’s had in the opening eight league games, with the only time he’s been withdrawn being against Wolves in the last game before the break, with the 23-year-old playing the full 90 minutes in the other seven outings.

Price, meanwhile, has started all four of their Nations League encounters as he has gone away on international duty enabling Michael O’Neill’s men go unbeaten in that span and without allowing a goal.

Price also chipped in at the top end of the pitch with a score in a romping victory over Ukraine. He also had an opportunity to be the match-winner against Georgia from the penalty spot, but his effort was thwarted by Liverpool’s Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Stuart Dallas and David Healy hail ‘brilliant’ Isaac Price

Former Northern Ireland internationals Stuart Dallas and David Healy both lavished praise on Isaac Price’s efforts in a Northern Ireland shirt throughout this international break, with the pair describing him as a ‘brilliant’ player for his country speaking on the BBC.

“He’s been fantastic,” Dallas remarked. “Don’t underestimate his work ethic and his desire to close things down, and what he brings to the team off the ball.

“There was a moment in the second half where the game wasn’t doing much and he closed one down and got the crowd moving, he gives value.

I saw his reaction after the game (to the penalty miss) and it’s not one of disappointment, which to many may look like he doesn’t care, but for me it’s a good thing that he’s not letting it get to him. Anyone can miss a penalty.

“He’s been a huge player since he’s come in from next to nowhere from the youth ages and stepped up and it was always a case of how good he’s going to be. Healy said:

“I think his record is one out of three. 34/35 caps with 11 goals, basically tells how good a player he is.”

West Brom must steel themselves for January interest in Isaac Price

It’s fair to say Isaac Price very much caught the eye in international duty and that kind of praise from the likes of Stuart Dallas and David Healy will only give him more confidence to continue to succeed back at The Hawthorns when domestic action resumes.

Price, still only 22, is already a fully-fledged international and one of the first names on the teamsheet under James Morrison and with such talent he is only going to get better and better.

Price has, of course, been linked with a move to the Premier League in the past and interest from the top-flight might well resurface in January if he continues to produce the goods.

So, Albion should be gearing up for an approach at the turn of the new year and looking at possible alternatives. It will be very tough for controlling shareholder Shilen Patel to turn down such a sizable offer that he should receive for such a gifted playmaker.

It may well be a big problem for Albion to lose a player who contributes so much both on and off the ball, but if the Baggies put the correct preparations in now, then they can stomach part of the damage if he was to wave goodbye to B71.