West Bromwich Albion striker Brandon Thomas-Asante will be gutted with how his afternoon went against Sunderland last time out in Championship action, with the Black Cats defence getting under his skin which resulted in an early dismissal.
Albion lacked a focal point up top after the ex-Salford City attacker had been given his marching orders, handing the visitors from Wearside a much-needed 1-0 victory in the process.
The 25-year-old hasn't let himself down an awful lot this campaign however, having found the back of the net an impressive 11 times from 37 matches in the league to be the leading scorer for the Baggies in the division.
There will be no temptation in the West Midlands just yet to try and offload Thomas-Asante even after this reckless red card, with the Baggies making a wise call in the past when getting rid of this former centre-forward.
Shane Long's time at West Brom
Purchased by Roy Hodgson back in 2011, Shane Long would relocate to the Baggies with a reputation for being a prolific goal machine – firing in 23 goals in the Championship for Reading during the 2010/11 season, before the call from West Brom was made.
The seasoned Republic of Ireland international would go on to have an up-and-down stint for the Baggies, netting a weak 22 goals from 87 games in total.
That isn't to say his entire three season-stay with West Brom was seen as a complete failure, with Long netting 11 goals during his second year at the Hawthorns in all competitions, but there wouldn't have been too many groans when the Baggies managed to get a good deal out of Hull City in 2014.
Adding a hefty £7m into their bank account when Long confirmed his move to the Tigers – a profit on the £4.5m the Baggies had previously splashed on Long – this deal looks even more of a smart call looking back when you consider how much that sale would be in today's inflated market courtesy of Totally Football's Transfer Index.
What Shane Long would be worth in 2024 money
If that same deal went through in 2024, West Brom would have banked an even healthier £14m to further justify their decision to move the Irishman on.
Totally Money have taken the 100 most expensive transfers of all time across each season since 1992 in Europe's top five leagues. Armed with plenty of historical financial data they have calculated what footballers of yesteryear would be worth in the present day after taking into account the remarkable rate of inflation.
Long would only go on to make 17 appearances for his new employers before Southampton swooped in, whilst West Brom gambled on young hotshot Saido Berahino to fire in the goals which worked wonders for a brief period of time.
Long would go on to become a feared Premier League striker with the Saints momentarily – bagging a career-best at the level during his debut season on the South Coast with ten strikes – but West Brom won't have been too disheartened with the money they received cutting ties with the now retired attacker when revisiting the sale back in their heads.
Thomas-Asante will hope he's a top-flight striker at some point this year, with Carlos Corberan's men still very much in the running to make the leap up to the Premier League via the playoff picture despite a recent bumpy patch of form.
West Brom struck gold with an icon who'd be worth £12m in 2024 money
West Bromwich Albion got their money’s worth with this excellent gem.
ByKelan SarsonMar 28, 2024