West Brom fans have got a lot to be delighted about. Slaven Bilic is clearly one of the best managers in the Championship and he’s got his side playing some of the second tier’s best football, yet things can still get better for them even if they are top of the league.
The Baggies have got a lot of incredible players, with the likes of Matheus Pereira, Grady Diangana, Matt Phillips and Jake Livermore impressing. However, one man who hasn’t been up to the required levels is a new signing over the summer who was expected to bring goals.
That man is obviously Charlie Austin. The ex-QPR and Southampton man joined the Baggies for just £4m over the summer on a two-year deal (BBC), and whilst on paper, he looked like a good signing, the fact that he’s been brought in to replace the goals of Jay Rodriguez and Dwight Gayle and hasn’t been doing so is concerning.
On the weekend, though, he bagged what was just his second goal in the Championship (Transfermarkt) in front of the home crowd at The Hawthorns, and two goals in 12 games in the second tier of English football despite having dropped into the league from the Premier League isn’t impressive at all.
Last season saw Gayle and Rodriguez score 45 goals between them in the Championship (Transfermarkt), and it has to be said that no one expects Austin to get anywhere near 45 goals, but somewhere around the 20-mark might be what the supporters had in mind.
Did Slaven Bilic make a mistake not signing Dwight Gayle?
No
Yes
However, it just hasn’t happened yet, and whilst there is still time, Austin simply has to get into gear sooner rather than later, and with a bit of luck his late penalty on the weekend can be a catalyst for change in the coming weeks.