New arrival Lewis Dobbin’s pace and directness will get Albion supporters off their seats during his loan spell at The Hawthorns.
The winger has joined the Baggies on loan from fellow West Midlands outfit Aston Villa and is set to embark on his first season in the Sky Bet Championship.
Hailing from Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, Dobbin began his footballing journey in the academy at Stoke City, and it was in ST4 where his potential was spotted by top-flight outfit Everton.
Lewis made the move north at the age of 11 and rose through the ranks in Merseyside to pass several important milestones - one of which included making his professional debut in the Toffees’ Premier League clash with Norwich City in September 2021.
Still, despite making initial steps into senior football during the 2021/22 campaign, it was clear the attacker needed regular first-team football - something he gained in the form of a loan move to the third-tier of English football at Derby County.
A progressive campaign at Pride Park followed, along with over 50 appearances for the Rams. He was forced to wait until the end of 2022 for his first-ever league goal, but it was a special moment as Dobbin bagged the decisive effort in a 1-0 win over Cambridge United at the end of December.
Having gathered important experience in a first-team setting, Lewis was integrated back into the Everton fold for the 23/24 season. His spell away from Goodison Park clearly gave the wide man, who can operate off either flank, a new lease of confidence at his parent club.
He was handed his first league start in blue against Wolverhampton Wanderers and netted his first top-flight goal before the turn of the year, stopping off the bench to score in a 2-0 triumph over Chelsea in what proved to be a pivotal moment in helping the Toffees stay up.
It’s not just been at club level where goals have come Lewis’ way either. On the international stage as a youngster, the attacker regularly scored throughout the age groups for England’s Young Lions, where he represented their U16, 17 and 19s teams.
2024 turned out to be a busy summer for Lewis, who moved closer to his home roots in the Midlands by joining fellow top-flight outfit Aston Villa prior to agreeing a season’s loan at the Baggies.
And ahead of his first exposure to the Championship, the exciting winger will be keen to make an immediate impact ahead of Albion’s first game of the 2024/25 campaign this weekend.
