West Bromwich Albion, even with a misfiring Brandon Thomas-Asante leading the line, managed to get the crucial win they desired against Preston North End on the final day.
Going into that match off the back of three defeats in a row in the Championship, Carlos Corberan will just hope this confidence-boosting win for his troops stands them in good stead for the almighty task of toppling Southampton over two legs in the playoffs.
Even with the Baggies boss continuing to be frustrated by the lack of a cutting edge from his former Salford City striker, he will know he can rely on Darnell Furlong to star in the playoffs after the dependable right-back has barely put a foot wrong all season long.
Darnell Furlong's numbers this season for West Brom
Furlong left his best performance until the very last game-day of the regular season for the West Midlands outfit, helping himself to a goal and an assist in the comprehensive 3-0 victory over Ryan Lowe's Lilywhites.
The standout West Brom number two would have been equally thrilled to collect another clean sheet to put next to his resume for the campaign against Preston as well, now standing at an impressive 14 from 46 league contests.
Noted for having an "excellent" season by Corberan post-match, Furlong will be one of the first names on the team sheet for the opening leg at the Hawthorns this coming Sunday when assessing how crucial he has been to a rock-solid Baggies defence.
With five goals and three assists next to his name, the well-rounded full-back also prides himself on being dogged at the back with 4.9 duels won per 90 minutes on average this campaign.
Corberan and Co will hope Furlong remains rooted in the West Midlands past this season if they do come unstuck against the Saints and stay in the second-tier, but will be aware that the 28-year-old could make them a healthy profit if needed when glancing at his transfer valuation according to Football Transfers.
Furlong's transfer value in 2024
Furlong's transfer value now stands at a hefty £3m after having such a fantastic campaign, a major jump up from the £1.4m the Championship outfit forked out for the ex-Queens Park Rangers man back in 2019.
This valuation means the reliable defender comes in as being worth two times more than Alex Mowatt, with the former Leeds United man's worth standing at an inferior £1.5m despite also excelling for Corberan's promotion-chasers.
May 2024
£3m
November 2023
£3.7m
June 2022
£4.9m
September 2019
£1.4m
Sourced by Football Transfers
Mowatt betters Furlong's assist total for the season by two, with the smooth operator from the middle of the park potentially key against Southampton's equally slick passers of the ball in Flynn Downes and Will Smallbone when the two teams clash at the weekend.
Coming away from his 43 second-tier contests with a 90% pass accuracy in-tact per 90 minutes, the Baggies will hope they can keep a firm grip on Mowatt in the summer with his contract very close to its expiry date.
Away from the futures of certain key first-team individuals, Corberan will know that the likes of Mowatt and Furlong performing well will be critical to his side's chances of progressing through to the nerve-wracking playoff final.
Furlong's value could even increase back to the £4.9m he once was worth if a promotion to the Premier League is secured, returning back to the level that he was involved in when still on the books at QPR.
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