View: Reported Arsenal interest in mooted West Brom target could spell trouble for Bilic
If West Brom are to make a return to the Premier League this summer, you can bet that they will be eager to bolster their squad in the coming months.
The top flight is a whole new ball game compared to the Championship, and bringing in the right recruits can be the difference between survival and an immediate drop back down to the second tier.
One name that has already been linked with a move to The Hawthorns in the near future is that of Croatian defender Domagoj Vida, as per Turkish outlet Sporx.
The 31-year-old currently plies his trade in Turkey with Besiktas, and could be available for around £8.7 million in the upcoming transfer window.
But according to a fresh report from the print edition of Turkish outlet Aksam, as pictured below, the Baggies could face competition from a number of Premier League sides for the 2018 World Cup finalist, including Arsenal.
And that could spell trouble for Albion.
Speaking to West Brom News recently, former Baggies striker Kevin Phillips claimed that the club could do with bringing in “one top class centre-half” if they are to be sufficiently covered for next season.
We’re not so sure whether Vida fits that bill, given his age and asking price, but it wouldn’t be out of the question for Slaven Bilic to go and snap up a player who was a regular fixture of his international setup with Croatia – especially given the manager’s ties to Besiktas.
But if the Baggies are serious about making a move for the defender in the coming months, you can only imagine that their task will be made considerably harder by the interest of a top six club like Arsenal.
Even with the bonus of Premier League TV money in the kitty, it will be hard to outmuscle a well-established outfit like the Gunners, and if they are genuinely eager to snap up Vida, it could be game over for Bilic’s men.
In other West Brom news, Lee Bowyer hits out at ‘wrong’ method of concluding Ch’ship that would see West Brom promoted.