Reliable journalist: West Brom unlikely to re-ignite interest in January target
West Brom are “highly unlikely” to re-ignite their interest in Dinamo Zagreb attacker Mislav Orsic when the next transfer window opens, according to The Athletic journalist Steve Madeley.
Slaven Bilic confirmed that Orsic, 27, was a transfer target in January as Albion hunted down a new left-sided winger.
It was no surprise that Orsic was on Bilic’s radar as the Croatia international had been in stunning form for Dinamo, scoring 19 goals across all competitions in the first half of the season.
However it turns out that West Brom’s interest in Orsic was solely down to that form because he hadn’t been as extensively scouted as the club would have wanted him to be.
“It’s highly unlikely that Albion will go back in for the Dinamo Zagreb forward,” Madeley wrote.
“In January he was a genuine option because he was in a rich vein of form and viewed as a calculated gamble that might have been worth taking should other targets not prove to be deliverable.
“However, there were concerns about the lack of detailed scouting that had been done on him, which is why they eventually opted for Kamil Grosicki and Callum Robinson instead. By the next transfer window they will have a few options who they can be more sure about.”
Since the January transfer window closed, Orsic has continued his good form by scoring one goal and supplying four assists in six league appearances.
Considering he’s 27-years-old and has only played in more obscure leagues like the Croatian top-flight, Chinese Super League, Serie B and South Korea’s K-League, there was no guarantee that he’d perform well in the Championship.
After their interest in Orsic cooled, West Brom eventually settled on Robinson, who was brought in on loan from Sheffield United.
Robinson’s form since his move on loan to The Hawthorns has proven it was probably the correct decision by Bilic and Luke Dowling to sign him rather than Orsic.
In other West Brom news, Jonathan Greening blames Aston Villa link for criticism towards this Albion ace.