View: How in-form West Ham rookie could save West Brom from Diangana disappointment
OPINION
Between now and January 15, West Brom fans are going to be fretting over Grady Diangana’s future at The Hawthorns.
Sky Sports reported last week that West Ham will consider recalling the 21-year-old in the first fortnight of January due to his incredible form at the Championship’s top side while the Hammers have been sliding down the Premier League standings at an alarming rate.
West Ham have not won in any of their last seven matches across all competitions and pressure is mounting on Manuel Pellegrini to turn things around at the London Stadium.
Last season, Albion fans witnessed a similar thing with Harvey Barnes.
Barnes was on fire at The Hawthorns but Claude Puel, whose job was on the line at Leicester City, recalled the attacker in January, landing a severe dent in West Brom’s promotion hopes.
However there could be a reason why West Ham might not have to recall Diangana based on the form of another young attacker who is making waves in the club’s Under-23s side.
Nathan Holland, like Diangana, is 21-years-old and has been tearing it up while playing on the left-wing this season.
He has only ever made two senior appearances for the Hammers but has netted eight goals and supplied four assists in 10 Premier League 2 appearances this term.
That has led Terry Westley, who left his role as West Ham’s academy manager in the summer, to call on Pellegrini to promote Holland to the first-team squad immediately.
“I have a very straightforward message for Manuel Pellegrini – how can anything be lost by giving Nathan Holland his chance in the team. There’s been talk about Grady Diangana returning to the club but that can’t happen until January anyway and we need somebody to make a difference now,” Westley said on the Claret & Hugh website.
“Nathan is a player who could come in, excite the fans, the squad and make a real difference. Ok, he may not but my question is why not try him given that we are playing the same individuals every week who aren’t doing it?”
Westley added: “The boy is in the form of his life right now, scoring goals and making dazzling runs. I can see no reason to hold back any longer on giving him his chance.”
Let’s say that Holland does get his call-up to the senior squad and impresses – where does that leave Diangana?
Albion’s chances of keeping hold of the attacker are bound to increase so maybe there is still hope for Slaven Bilic in trying to keep hold of the on-loan West Ham ace.
In other West Brom news, Tottenham and Liverpool want to sign this Baggies teenager.