Exclusive: Kevin Phillips tips West Brom to eye ‘Outstanding centre-forward’ with PL experience
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips has tipped West Brom to pursue Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic if they win promotion and Fulham do not.
The Baggies have been linked with Fenerbahce target man Vedat Muriqi in the last couple of weeks [Fanatik] but Phillips has already expressed concern about his former club targeting a move for a striker without Premier League experience.
Mitrovic, 25, has scored 21 goals in 77 Premier League appearances, with 11 of them coming last season when Fulham were relegated to the Championship.
This season has seen Mitrovic score 23 goals in 34 appearances and although Phillips believes he would be an expensive signing, he is a striker who he’d like to see Slaven Bilic bring in instead of Muriqi.
“Mitrovic is a top-class player but if things go well for Fulham, they might join West Brom in promotion via the play-offs – they’re sitting quite healthy at the moment,” Phillips told West Brom News.
“For me, he’s the most outstanding centre-forward in the Championship, he’s got Premier League experience and he’s developed into a player whose attitude has got better and better.
“He suits the Championship but also the Premier League with his physicality. His hold-up play is also very good and he scores goals.
“I would imagine he’d cost a few quid but if West Brom were to go up, there would be money there to spend.
“He’s someone who they’d definitely be interested in or be looking at.”
West Brom are likely to need a new striker if they win promotion to the Premier League this season because Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu are both the wrong side of 30 and haven’t been prolific goalscorers in the top-flight and Kenneth Zohore has struggled to impress in the Championship.
Mitrovic is a striker who has done brilliantly in the Championship in recent seasons and last season, in the Premier League, he did a good job at spearheading the attack of a side that was pretty awful in every other area.
Albion will find it tough to sign Mitrovic if Fulham win promotion as well as them but the Serbia international is certainly someone Slaven Bilic should look at if the Cottagers miss out.
In other West Brom news, Gary Neville has shared how his ‘horror show’ at The Hawthorns led to him retiring.
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