The Baggies finished in eighth place last season, collecting 14 wins, 7 draws and 17 losses.
The Albion impressed by beating Liverpool in both matches and remaining undefeated against QPR, Southampton, Sunderland and Aston Villa. They also managed to beat Chelsea and Everton at the Hawthorns and also snatched a point from champions Manchester United on the final day of the season.
Transfer Ins:
Diego Lugano (Paris Saint-Germain)
Nicolas Anelka (Juventus)
Transfer Outs:
Shane Lewis (Walsall)
Romaine Sawyers (Walsall)
Jerome Thomas (Crystal Palace)
Marc-Antoine Fortune (Wigan Athletic)
Gonzalo Jara (Nottingham Forest)
Player to watch:
It would also be interesting to see how well Nicolas Anelka performs at his new club, as the former France international is no stranger to the Premier League after playing for the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton and Chelsea. He was a player-manager at his previous team Shanghai Shenhua before moving on loan to Juventus. His experience and talent will be much needed at the Birmingham-based club.
Player needing to improve: Markus Rosenberg has played for the likes of Ajax and Werder Bremen throughout his career and signed a three-year contract with West Brom last year. However, the Sweden international who plays as a forward did not manage to net one goal for his new team. Now that Lukaku is gone, and the team needs some new goal scorers, Rosenberg will have to improve his game and help West Brom perform the same way, if not better, this upcoming season.
Prediction: 9th place.
The departure of Lukaku might prove critical for Albion this season and Steve Clarke will certainly be hoping that Nicolas Anelka can step into the Belgium forward’s shoes this season. Last season was extremely encouraging and will certainly be in the mix for a top half finish once again this season. Relegation struggles are no longer a worry for the Baggies who are now firmly established within the Premier League.