Dream West Brom Debut For Albrighton
- A West Bromwich Albion debut for Marc Albrighton ended in victory
- Hamza Choudhury is also in the Sky Bet Championship at Watford
- Ayoze Pérez made his Real Betis bow during a narrow La Liga defeat
- George Hirst has played four times for Ipswich Town in League 1
Playing three quarters of the triumph at the Hawthorns, he was replaced by John Swift as West Brom saw out a fourth win in five league games courtesy of Grady Diangana’s early goal.
With West Brom now inside the Sky Bet Championship play-off places, the 33-year-old midfielder could be next in action when the Baggies travel to face Midlands rivals Birmingham City at St. Andrew’s this Friday (8pm kick-off).
Another player to leave King Power Stadium on loan in the January transfer window was winger Ayoze Pérez, who made his Real Betis debut on Sunday as Betis fell to a 4-3 home defeat to Celta Vigo at Estadio Benito Villamarín.
The Spaniard, introduced as a 73rd-minute substitute at 4-2 down, was unable to spark a comeback in the closing stages. His new side remain well placed in La Liga, however, sitting sixth, level on points with fifth-place Villarreal ahead of meeting Almería on Saturday (3:15pm kick-off).
Back in England, Hamza Choudhury’s season-long loan at Premier League promotion-chasing Watford has seen the midfielder play a key role for the Hornets, who sit fifth prior to this weekend’s action, which will see Slaven Bilić’s men host Blackburn Rovers at Vicarage Road on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
Choudhury, 24, has made a total of 24 appearances in Hertfordshire, despite an injury which ruled him out of four festive fixtures over the Christmas period. Playing in a holding midfield role, he most recently contributed to a 2-2 with Reading last Saturday.
In League 1, Ipswich Town have secured the loan of Foxes forward George Hirst for the remainder of this campaign. He spent the first half of 2022/23 at Blackburn Rovers, featuring on 11 occasions for the Lancashire club.
The 23-year-old made his bow for the Tractors Boys from the bench on 14 January, coming on during a 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle. That was followed by his first start six days later, in defeat to Oxford United.
After a substitute appearance in the 4-0 triumph over Morecambe, Hirst started against Championship leaders Burnley as Kieran McKenna’s side earned a replay in the Emirates FA Cup, which will be played at Turf Moor this Tuesday evening (7:45pm kick-off).
Chasing promotion to the second tier, third-place Ipswich would close the gap to leaders Sheffield Wednesday if they defeat the Owls at Hillsborough on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
Elsewhere in the EFL, Kasey McAteer is spending the rest of the season at AFC Wimbledon, positioned just inside the top half of Sky Bet League 2 as things stand.
The youngster enjoyed a similar loan at Forest Green Rovers during the second half of last term, but is yet to feature for the Dons, who host Carlisle United at Cherry Red Records Stadium on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
All times GMT.