West Bromwich Albion has completed the signing of Orlando City and U.S. international forward Daryl Dike on a four-and-a-half year deal, the English Championship club announced on Saturday.
While financial terms weren’t disclosed, a source with knowledge of the deal indicated that Orlando will receive $9.5m plus performance bonuses. The Lions will also receive 20 percent of any future sale. The Athletic was first report the initial transfer fee of $9.5m.
“I am extremely grateful to everyone at Orlando City for believing in me and for giving me the opportunity to play for this incredible club,” Dike said. “This was a great place for me to start my career and I am thankful to the club for helping me toward this next step of my journey. I will always cherish my time here with my teammates, coaches, and staff, but I’ll especially miss the fans and the incredible atmosphere they create for each home game.”
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The move sees Dike reunited with West Brom manager Valerien Ismael, after the two worked together last season during Dike’s loan stint with Barnsley, a period in which he scored nine goals in 22 league and cup appearances and helped the Championship club reach the Premier League playoffs.
“Dike has everything we need from the No.9 position. He has energy, strength — he challenges defenders — and he scores goals,” Ismael said via the West Brom web site. “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.”
Let’s get started👊🏿😁 https://t.co/BBwzmnLte3
— Daryl Dike (@DarylDike) January 1, 2022
After playing collegiately at the University of Virginia, Dike was selected by Orlando with the fifth overall pick of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. He went on to spend two seasons with the Florida club, scoring 19 goals in 41 appearances.
During that time he also made inroads with the USMNT, scoring three times in eight appearances, including a pair of goals at last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“We would like to thank Daryl for all he has given to Orlando City throughout his time here,” EVP of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi said. “From the moment we drafted him, we knew Daryl was a special talent, and this opportunity is a credit to both his natural talent and his dedication over the last two years.
“We are happy that he was able to develop here in Orlando and grow into the player he is today,” Muzzi continued. “While we know he will go on to do tremendous things in his career, it’s an honor to say that Daryl got his start here in Orlando, that we played a strong role in helping him get to this new challenge. We wish Daryl nothing but the best in this next chapter.”
West Brom sit fourth in the Championship, four points outside the automatic promotion places, but have scored just 30 goals in 24 league games.