Promising midfielder Rabby Nzingoula will be determined to force his way into James Morrison’s starting XI after swapping northeastern France for the West Midlands.
The highly-rated 20-year-old, who has already clocked up more than 50 senior games on his footballing CV, has penned a three-year deal at The Hawthorns and adds an abundance of dynamism, energy and solidity in the middle of the park.
Born in Lille in late November of 2005, Rabby grew up playing for US Grigny in Île-de-France, an area regularly referred to as the Paris Region, having moved there with his family before the age of two. He went on to join Orléans, but was quickly snapped up by RC Strasbourg when he turned 16.
Nzingoula wasted no time in displaying his leadership qualities at ‘Le Racing’, establishing himself as a dominant and influential figure in the club’s youth teams. Those eye-catching performances, matched with his impressive physical stature, helped push him towards a trainee contract in 2023.
Rabby was part of Strasbourg’s first-team group for the 2023/24 season – a group that was managed by one of the finest midfielders to ever grace the pitch for Les Blues, Patrick Vieira.
Working with the former Arsenal, Juventus, Inter and Manchester City legend clearly had a positive effect on the then teenager, and Vieira handed the rising star his senior debut in February 2004. Nzingoula played the final ten minutes as his team were beaten 3-1 on home soil by Lorient in Ligue 1. He’d go on to feature a further five times for the first team before the end of the season.
The Baggies’ new boy signed his first professional contract in May 2024, but would spend the 2024/25 term away from his parent club – joining former French champions Montpellier on a season-long loan. He made 27 appearances that season for ‘La Paillade’, 20 of which were as a starter. His first senior goal came while playing for Montpellier, notching in a 2-1 defeat at eight-time title-winners AS Monaco in September 2024.
Nzingoula returned to Strasbourg in the summer of 2025 and gained invaluable experience in European football. The midfielder played four games and helped his team to four wins in the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League, participating in away victories over Brondby, Hacken and Abderdeen, as well as a home triumph against Breidablik.
The 3-1 win over the Icelandic champions at Stade de la Meinau on December 18, 2025 proved to be his final match for Strasbourg, with a loan move to German second division team 1. FC Nürnberg materialising in the winter window, a club managed by one of the all-time leading scorers in the Men’s FIFA World Cup, Miroslav Klose.
Rabby added another 15 first-team games to his resume while there, scoring once in a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Braunschweig in early April, firing high past the goalkeeper from inside the penalty area. He helped ‘Der Club’ to a top-eight finish, starting eight fixtures and coming on as a substitute in the other seven.
Now, under the guidance of James Morrison, he’ll be keen to establish himself as a pivotal player for the Baggies and become one of the best young midfielders in the second tier of English football.