Toby Collyer has described his permanent summer move from Manchester United to West Brom as a “no-brainer.” The midfielder joined the Championship club on deadline day after United agreed an initial fee of £3million, with the overall package including add-ons worth £7.6m.
Why Collyer left United
Hull City were interested in re-signing Collyer for their first season back in the Premier League after his six-month loan, but the midfielder opted for West Brom. He spent the first half of last season on loan at The Hawthorns and the second half with Hull.
Collyer was favoured by Erik ten Hag and featured in a handful of games under Ruben Amorim, but was informed by Michael Carrick that he would receive more minutes if he left the club. United also inserted a 40 per cent sell-on fee to profit from a potential future sale of the midfielder.
Early season at West Brom
Collyer was on the bench for West Brom's opening three games of the season, but made his debut by starting against QPR last month, which was followed by a substitute appearance against Wolves. The 22-year-old is expected to play a key role for West Brom when domestic football resumes after the international break.
Reflecting on his transfer, Collyer told the Express & Star: “It feels better being back permanently. Coming on loan last year, I really enjoyed my time here. But when you're on loan you have that psychological thing in the back of your mind - ‘I’m not actually the official player here, I'm just here temporarily’ so it feels really good to be back. I think it makes all the difference, psychologically when you’ve been here and you know the manager's pushed so hard to get you back here, it makes you give that extra bit.”
Choosing West Brom over Hull
Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic was open about his desire to sign Collyer, but West Brom won the race for his signature. “When I evaluated everything, I pinpointed this place as the best place for me to develop, to take my game to the next level - in terms of everything, the building, the coaching staff, the lads,” Collyer said.
“I think it's a group sort of aspect when you look at it, you don't look at one thing or another - look at everything and I felt this place was the best place for me to make the next step for myself and obviously wanting to come back here to such a great club with great coaching staff and lads. I really believe in this club, I believe in the ideas and everything to do with it, so it was a no-brainer for me.”
In 2024, a source discussed Ten Hag's fondness for Collyer, and another source revealed that he recorded 'freakish' running stats in training that were only bettered by Bruno Fernandes. Amorim also praised Collyer, saying: "He has very good legs, he's improving with the ball. He knows what he needs to do to play for this club and feels the club in the right way. He's really humble and when you work hard, you get the opportunity."
Collyer featured in pre-season under Carrick, but it was agreed he would leave the club over the summer.
