Albion are delighted to confirm the permanent transfer of United States of America international Daryl Dike from Orlando City, subject to international clearance.
The 21-year-old striker, who joins the Baggies for an undisclosed fee, has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract at The Hawthorns.
Dike netted 11 goals in 19 MLS appearances last season and has earned eight caps for his country.
He again teams up with head coach Valérien Ismaël after firing Barnsley to the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs with nine goals in 19 fixtures during a four-month loan spell at Oakwell last term.
And the Baggies boss is delighted to land his man.
“I’m delighted we have completed the transfer of Dike,” said the gaffer. “He was always our first target and priority. There’s a lot of teamwork that has gone into this deal and I would personally like to thank Mr Lai, Ken, Ron Gourlay and Ian Pearce for making it happen so quickly. They have all worked very hard on the transfer.
“Dike has everything we need from the No.9 position. He has energy, strength – he challenges defenders – and he scores goals.
“I worked with him at Barnsley and I know him very well. He has the mentality. He is 21 years old and is still a young player – but he has a lot of experience.”
Ismaël insists the early capture of Dike will aid the club in preparing him for the trip to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, January 15 and beyond.
“Now it’s about preparing Dike for the Championship,” he added. “It was important to us to get Dike as early as possible because we know that he had four weeks off after the MLS season.
“For sure, he needs time and the schedule for him is to work hard in the next two weeks, so he is ready to play a part against QPR. That is our target and now, with my staff, we will work to have a very, very good build up – using every day – to ensure he is in top shape by that game.”
