Ghana striker Brandon Thomas-Asante has revealed he thinks of pre-season as a time to get his body in the “lab”, preparing for the challenges ahead during the campaign at West Bromwich Albion.
The forward, who finished as the top scorer for the club in each of the last two terms, is entering his third season as a Baggies player having joined from Salford City in August 2022.
Thomas-Asante was rewarded for his progress at The Hawthorns with a first inclusion in the Ghana national team squad over the summer, making his debut for the Black Stars in their 4-3 FIFA World Cup qualifying victory over Central African Republic in June.
Brandon reported back to Albion earlier than requested following his time away with his country, linking up with the majority of Carlos Corberán’s squad for the first day three weeks ago.
And the 25-year-old believes this time of year is crucial to building the perfect platform to allow him to perform to his maximum throughout the entirety of the 2024/25 Sky Bet Championship calendar.
Thomas-Asante said: “I’m feeling good and it was a really good summer.
“It was really exciting to go away with the national team for the very first time. It’s something I’ve wanted to do forever, to represent Ghana, since I was a child.
“To be able to play with different players and get a different outlook on things was refreshing. I really enjoyed being with Ghana in the summer which was really good.
“I came back from international duty and had a breather, but then got back to work here pretty quickly. I couldn’t stay away for too long, I wanted to come back sooner than what my report date was.
“For me, pre-season has always been a time to prepare for the campaign ahead and as a player who likes to impose myself on the opposition, I kind of see pre-season as being in the lab and getting my body right for the challenges ahead.
“I’ve become a Formula 1 fan, so it’s like getting the car right with all the internal mechanics. I feel like I’ve taken strides towards that and I want to build on last year.
“I wanted to get more out of last year, but you’re always looking to improve more and more and that’s what I’ll be doing this time around too.”
Brandon scored Albion’s goal in their training game against Bolton Wanderers at St. George’s Park last Saturday afternoon.
The striker was pleased to find the net so early on in pre-season and says he’ll be setting his standards even higher this time around after winning the top scorer award at Albion in the previous two campaigns.
“It was nice to start off with a goal on Saturday in our friendly with Bolton at St. George’s Park.
“You can learn plenty of things from these fixtures and I’d say I probably could have got another goal. I’ll always be hard on myself and never just accept average.
“It was great to be back out there on the pitch with the boys. There were lots of good performances, especially given the stage of pre-season we’re at.
“We’ve been training so much since we’ve returned and it’s been intense, so it was great to have a game on Saturday. We’ve got another few days of sessions ahead of us here at St. George’s Park, but there’s another game to look forward to on Saturday here.
“I’ve got a few mates who play at Peterborough so it’ll be good to see them and hopefully I can get on the scoresheet again.
“I’m really grateful to have won the top goalscorer award last season and it was really exciting to do so.
“I’ve managed to do it twice in-a-row now and I was able to better 2022/23’s tally in 2023/24, which I was pleased about. It’s always encouraging.
“I know there was criticism regarding not scoring more goals and as a striker you have to take that on the chin, but nobody knows I could have scored more, more than myself. Nobody sets higher standards for me than myself and I’m always driving myself forward to improve in all aspects of my game.
“The target for this year will be to build on last season.”
Midfielder Ousmane Diakité, defender Torbjørn Heggem and goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith have all joined Albion recently.
Thomas-Asante believes the trio have slotted into the group seamlessly and says he’s already formed some really strong relationships.
“The boys are always really good when new lads join us. We’ve had Ousmane (Diakité), Torbjørn (Heggem) and Joe (Wildsmith) join the group so far and they’ve all settled in.
“With Ousmane, even though there’s a language barrier there at the moment, his character shines through.
“I’m close with Torbjørn too, but he obviously speaks a lot more English at this stage than Ousmane.
“I love languages myself as well. I tried to learn Spanish last year and I’ve given French a go too. Ousmane takes the mick out of me more when I try to speak French than I do him when he speaks English.
“They’re really good players as well and I’m really excited to play with them. This week here at St. George’s Park will only help to strengthen relationships both on and off the pitch.”
