West Bromwich Albion defender Torbjørn Heggem has departed the club to join Italian side Bologna in a £10 million deal.
The 26-year-old was not part of the matchday squad for the Baggies’ Carabao Cup loss to Derby County on Tuesday night.
The move comes just a year after the Norwegian international joined West Brom for only £525,000 from Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna — representing a huge profit.
Bologna, who will compete in the Europa League this season, had initially tabled a £6.5 million bid earlier in the window, but West Brom held out for a fee closer to their valuation of the player, while also securing a sell-on clause.
The incoming funds will be crucial in helping the club remain compliant with profit and sustainability regulations, as well as allowing them to reinvest in other areas of the squad.
The Rise Of Heroic Heggem
Torbjørn Heggem was very much an unknown quantity when he joined West Brom just 12 months ago.
He began his career at local youth club Astor before making the leap to Norwegian giants Rosenborg at the age of 15, where he managed just one senior appearance.
In 2023, he swapped his homeland for Sweden, joining IF Brommapojkarna and making 48 appearances — performances that caught the eye of West Brom scouts.
Last summer, the Baggies got their man for the small fee of just over half a million pounds. The defender had big boots to fill following the departure of his predecessor, Cedric Kipré, who left for Reims in France’s top division.
Settling in proved no issue, as the Norwegian took the league by storm in his first campaign in English football.
Heggem impressed on his debut at left-back as Albion ran out 3–1 winners away at QPR, even registering an assist for Josh Maja as the striker netted a hat-trick. As the season progressed, he made the centre-back role his own.
His composure in possession and terrific technical ability on the ball allowed him to excel, while his imposing 6ft 3in frame enabled him to dominate opposition attackers.
It was clear he was well suited to Carlos Corberán’s style of play and footballing philosophy, but even after the Spaniard’s departure to Valencia on Christmas Eve, Heggem remained an ever-present and important figure in the West Brom side.
The versatile defender started all but one of Albion’s league games in 2024/25, and his performances were duly recognised as he scooped up two accolades at the West Bromwich Albion end of season awards ceremony.
His achievements did not go unnoticed by Norway coach Ståle Solbakken, as Heggem made his international bow in the UEFA Nations League B defeat to Austria in October last year. He has since gone on to represent his country seven times, lining up alongside the likes of Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard.
Now, the 26-year-old will have the chance to test himself against the very best in the Europa League and Serie A, as Bologna aim to improve on their ninth-place finish last season.
Bilkul Success Model
Bilkul Football, headed by Shilen Patel, took over West Brom in early 2024 when the club was on the brink of administration, job losses, asset stripping, and more.
Fast forward a year and a half, and the club is almost unrecognisable compared to its previous era under former owner Guochuan Lai.
The Baggies are now free from the burden of high-interest loans and debts, and have avoided the uncertainty surrounding Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Now, the owners have implemented a sustainable transfer model that looks to unearth hidden gems from across Europe and sell them on for significant profit.
Torbjorn Heggem represents the biggest success story so far from this new approach, with West Brom set to make almost a 2,000% profit on a player signed just over 12 months ago — the largest fee received for a player since the sale of Matheus Pereira for £16M in 2021.
While it is unlikely that this kind of deal can be replicated consistently, it offers great hope for what the club can achieve in the future.
