West Brom captain Campbell declares Baggies 'desperate' to end six-year Premier League exile

West Bromwich Albion captain George Campbell has declared his side are “desperate” to end a six-year absence from the Premier League, setting a play-off finish as the club’s minimum expectation for the 2026/27 Championship season.

Albion head into Saturday’s trip to third-place West Ham sitting fifth in the table, two points behind Swansea City in the final automatic promotion spot. A win at the London Stadium would lift James Morrison’s side into the top two.

“I think that’s everyone’s dream,” Campbell told The Mirror. “Everyone at any Championship club, of course, the goal is to make the play-offs and to go up. And with this group — we’ve got a young group, a group that’s very together — I would say that’s everyone’s goal. There’s a lot of guys, like Jason [Roberts], for example, who has been here for four or five years who hasn’t experienced that with West Brom. The general feeling is that we’re all desperate to go up. And I think this year we’ve got a real chance.”

The turnaround at The Hawthorns has been striking. West Brom finished 21st last season, narrowly avoiding relegation, yet have since collected 21 points from their opening 12 matches — winning six and drawing three.

Much of the credit goes to a busy summer rebuild. Head coach Morrison, appointed permanently after an impressive interim spell, oversaw a significant squad overhaul that brought the average age down. Jimmy-Jay Morgan, 20, has caught the eye since his £1.3 million arrival from Chelsea, while Nolan Galves and Felix Horn Myhre have also made positive early impressions.

Albion simultaneously cleared wage-heavy contracts, with Alex Mowatt and Krystian Bielik departing for fees and Jed Wallace, Karlan Grant, Daryl Dike, and Josh Maja all leaving on free transfers.

Campbell himself joined from MLS side CF Montreal in 2025 and has quickly established himself as a leader at the club. Should West Brom secure promotion, it would mark their return to the top flight for the first time since the Covid-affected 2020/21 campaign.