Slaven Bilic names West Brom summer exit that left him ‘really sad’
Slaven Bilic has admitted that he was “really sad” when Jay Rodriguez left West Brom last summer.
The 30-year-old left The Hawthorns to rejoin boyhood club Burnley in a deal worth around £5 million at the end of last season.
Prior to that move, the one-time England international had enjoyed an immensely successful campaign for the Baggies, hitting 22 goals and six assists in 48 outings across all competitions.
And Bilic has claimed that Rodriguez’s departure, alongside the exit of fellow hitman Dwight Gayle, left him disappointed.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, he said: “I was really sad when Jay Rodriguez left because, between him and Dwight Gayle, we lost 45 of the 82 goals we scored last season, which is impossible to compensate.
“But that’s why we bought Charlie Austin, Kenneth Zohore and we already had Hal Robson-Kanu.”
Given how important Rodriguez and Gayle were last term for the Baggies, it’s not surprising that Bilic was upset to see them leave.
The pair hit 45 out of Albion’s 82 goals in 2019/20 – a total of 54.88%
By contrast, Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore, the two men brought into replace Rodriguez and Gayle, have hit just 11 of West Brom’s 64 Championship goals this season – a total of 17.19%.
That drop off is huge, and speaks volumes to the quality of both Rodriguez and Gayle.
Of course, in one respect it hasn’t hurt Albion too much, with the club still on track for an automatic promotion spot this season.
But you can’t help wondering if Austin and Zohore have really have what it takes to cut it at the highest level next season, assuming we do get promoted.
Given that Rodriguez has enjoyed a relatively successful campaign with Burnley, registering five Premier League goals in 12 league starts, you’d be inclined to argue that he would have been much better suited to a run in the top flight.
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In other West Brom news, Albion are in the hunt to sign this striker who is nicknamed ‘The Tank’.
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