West Bromwich Albion's recent history has certainly been mixed, although Shilen Patel will be hoping his millions can eventually return the club to the Premier League.

The Baggies have resided in the Championship for the past five years, with Patel's takeover through his the consortium - Bilkul Football WBA LLC - in February 2024 costing £60m and bringing an end to Guochuan Lai's disastrous period in The Hawthorns' boardroom.

The American businessman's takeover has been followed by a play-off finish under Carlos Corberan in 2023/24, a mixed 2024/25 campaign following the Spaniard's exit in December 2024, and a near-disastrous 2025/26 campaign under three different managers and a controversial two-point deduction.

However, Albion have started the current campaign in encouraging form under former midfielder, James Morrison, who has transformed the outlook of the playing squad to a much younger and energetic one compared to last season.

Naturally, not all the decisions made during Patel's ownership tenure thus far have been perfect, but Football League World have attempted to rank the five-best individual transfers which have been made by the Black Country side across the past five windows.

5 Jimmy-Jay Morgan

Getting us underway is one of Morrison's 10 signings from this summer, and it will be no surprise to see that the man in question is Jimmy-Jay Morgan.

West Brom parted with approximately £4m for the England youth international from Chelsea, whilst the Blues retain a substantial sell-on clause given the forward's high potential.

Morgan shone last year at Peterborough United, scoring 14 times in 39 appearances, and he has already made a fast start to life in B71, which included one goal and two assists in his first two Championship games.

As such, Albion could be in a strong position to land a hefty profit on the 20-year-old if such form continues.

4 Callum Styles

Callum Styles takes up fourth place on this list, having signed from Barnsley back in August 2024.

The Hungarian international has been a consistent operator at Championship level for many years, and his importance to how Albion have played under several head coaches during said timeframe cannot be understated.

Styles is known for having wicked technical ability, whilst his versatility has been a key asset too, often filling in central midfield roles and even having a spell at right-back this season, despite also being comfortable at left-back.

The 26-year-old is already closing in on 100 appearances for the club and has become a recent favourite for his performances across the park, which saw him rewarded with a fresh four-year deal this summer.

3 Mikey Johnston

Mikey Johnston had already been loaned in from Celtic at the time of Patel's takeover, but after his immediate impact, a £3m deal was agreed between the two clubs.

Having scored seven goals in his first 18 league games for the club, Johnston endured a difficult 2024/25 season for the Baggies, where he produced just three strikes and five assists in 40 league outings.

Despite suffering a late-season injury which coincided with a major upturn in fortunes during Morrison's initial interim spell as head coach, it begs the question as to whether Albion would still have survived were it not for the Republic of Ireland international's two goals and nine assists in just 34 games.

Unfortunately for Morrison, Johnston is yet to feature in his new-look side due to a further injury to his ankle sustained in September.

2 Max O'Leary

The runner-up in this ranking is current Baggies number-one, Max O'Leary, who initially signed on a short-term contract from Bristol City in January under Eric Ramsay.

O'Leary, 30, endured mixed fortunes during his time at Ashton Gate but was no stranger to the Championship, and given Albion's difficulty in sourcing a replacement for Alex Palmer, who left for Ipswich Town in 2025, they have now landed on a reliable pair of hands.

The Irish international kept eight shutouts in Albion's successful survival mission and signed a further three-year deal in June, with his performances between the sticks, as well as his distribution, key to such a positive start to the current campaign.

1 Torbjørn Heggem

However, championing this ranking is Norwegian international defender, Torbjørn Heggem, who was unknown to most when he signed from IF Brommapojkarna for under £600,000 in 2024.

During his one full season in the West Midlands, Heggem featured at both centre-back and left-back, with Albion keeping 13 clean sheets throughout his 45 appearances, during which he also registered three goal contributions.

He then landed the club a serious profit through a £10m move to Bologna last August, and has since seen his performance levels increase even more in Serie A and European competitions.

Baggies fans, do you agree with this ranking or not? Comment below!

During an impressive FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign which saw England knock out the Scandinavians, Heggem's father, Trond, expressed his gratitude towards the club's staff and supporters for enhancing his development and making him feel at home.

"He and we all are very grateful for the time [he spent at West Brom]," he said. "For the way they treated him, and especially the way the fans treated him when he was there, and still are."