West Brom are looking to sign free agent Lewis Grabban after the veteran striker turned down a new contract with Premier League newcomers Nottingham Forest. Athletic.
Daryl Dike just can’t catch a break.
The former Barnsley ace barely hit the ball in anger after joining the Baggies in a £7million deal last January. After playing just 12 minutes in the opening day draw with Middlesbrough, Dike returned to the treatment room, a thigh injury again curtailing his West Bromwich Albion career.
Karlan Grant started in his place in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat. But despite scoring 18 goals last season, doubts remain over his consistency. Grant, meanwhile, is most effectively dragged down the flank rather than playing with his back to goal and bringing others into play, a la Dike.
Is Lewis Grabban the solution to West Brom’s biggest problem?
Bringing in free agent Lewis Grabban feels like one of the logical decisions then. A lack of ruthlessness, particularly in the final third, undermines West Brom’s promotion prospects.
Grabban would not spend a penny on Albion in transfer fee. He has known Steve Bruce since they were together at Aston Villa. And most importantly, he remains a prolific goalscorer at Championship level. A consummate professional and as fit as ever at 34, Grabban scored 12 goals as Nottingham Forest won the play-offs last season.
In total, he scored 112 times in 283 games played in the Championship.
“We just have a striker in form at the right time” Bruce said Grabban described the silky forward as an “excellent” player after joining Aston Villa in 2018.
If he was playing at West Brom four years later, you could almost copy and paste Bruce’s comments; A proven Championship striker who arrived at ‘just the right time’.
“Scoring 12 goals in 19 games at Sunderland was enough for him to move for a team that was bottom of the league. He’s a better player than I thought, if I may say so. That’s always nice for a manager.”
In other news, Report: Leeds want to sign the 25-year-old superstar as soon as possible
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