Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has warned West Brom that their current striking options are not mobile enough to make the club competitive in the Premier League.
Charlie Austin, Hal Robson-Kanu and Kenneth Zohore are the three to have led the line for the Baggies in their promotion-winning campaign this season.
Austin and Robson-Kanu have scored ten league goals each this season, while Zohore has found the net just three occasions in the Championship, and it is the latter whose fitness since the restart has come in for particular questioning from Whelan.
Speaking to Football Insider about the Baggies’ options in attack, Whelan said: “I don’t think they’ve got that impact they need upfront and I think the three of them are very similar quite frankly.
“They are big, strong but not mobile enough for the Premier League, I think they’ll struggle upfront. Zohore has hardly played any games and looks like he’s put on a bit of weight when I saw him play.
“I think you’ve got to have more mobility upfront and we saw that with West Brom they’re a big side, strong and powerful but it’s a different game when you go up into the Premier League.”
Indeed, Whelan believes that West Brom’s performances against the likes of Leeds and Brentford ought to be a concern for Slaven Bilic, as he continued: “They found it difficult against Leeds United, the way they played with that intensity and that quickness of passing and they found it difficult against Brentford who play a very similar style to Leeds.
“So they need to look at how to get victories in the Premier League because it’s a very intense brand of football and I think it probably suits Leeds more going into the Premier League than it does West Brom.”
Do you agree with Whelan here?YesNo |
These are some interesting claims from Whelan here.
West Brom were certainly impressive for much of the season, with their position in side the top two for the majority of the campaign suggesting they are capable of competing in the Premier League.
However, the way they finished will be something of a concern, and you do feel they will have to add a goalscorer to their ranks to be competitive in the top-flight – although it could be noted that Sheffield United have not done that this season.
With regards to Zohore, it is hard to argue with the suggestion that he has yet to settle at The Hawthorns, but having only made the move from Cardiff last summer, it may be hard to move him on so quickly.
