View: 24-year-old captain is low-cost centre-back option who could shine for West Brom in PL
West Brom are reportedly among a number of clubs who are interested in signing Oxford United captain Rob Dickie this summer.
According to the Mirror’s print edition [page 65, August 9] Albion, Leeds, Fulham and Newcastle are all keen on signing the 24-year-old centre-back.
It is understood that Oxford United want £3million for the former Reading defender with him now in the final year of his contract at the Kassam Stadium.
It is not a great shock to see Dickie attracting attention from the Premier League after a string of impressive performances in League One last season.
Dickie captained Oxford United all the way to the play-off final at Wembley before suffering a heartbreaking – and unexpected – defender to Wycombe.
Even though the Us failed to win promotion, their supporters are still massive fans of Dickie and want to see him stay put despite speculation linking him with a move to the top-tier.
https://twitter.com/blakeyoufc/status/1292819517178023937
Even some West Brom fans have expressed their desire for Slaven Bilic to sign Dickie this summer to strengthen his centre-back options:
West Brom could do with strengthening the spine of their team this summer and adding in a centre-back who has top-class leadership qualities could come in very handy.
Semi Ajayi impressed the most out of West Brom’s centre-backs in the Championship and he seemed to perform better alongside Kyle Bartley, who is more vocal and seen more as a leader than Ahmed Hegazi.
However, as good as Bartley was in some of his displays last season, we still think Albion need to look for someone who can be an improvement upon him and £3million-rated could be a low-cost option for Bilic and Luke Dowling.
Stats by WyScout show that Dickie had the same number of defensive duels per 90 minutes as Bartley did last season in all competitions [5.09].
Dickie averaged more interceptions and recoveries than Bartley while also committing fewer fouls than the Baggies man.
It seems very likely that Dickie will be on the move this summer.
Oxford United manager Karl Robinson has recently admitted, via the Oxford Mail, that it’s unlikely the 24-year-old will stay put in League One.
“I’ve had a conversation today that blew me away when you think of the size of this club that would be interested in the likes of Rob.
“You can’t keep that player if these clubs come in, so re-spend it to give yourself the greatest opportunity to build again for the future.”
Robinson added: “To be honest, I don’t think it’s right to keep Rob back.”
If Robinson’s comments are anything to go by, a deal is quite likely to happen this summer.
West Brom just need to beat their rivals to landing the former England Under-19 international and Bilic should have a new, solid option to choose from in his defence.
In other West Brom news, Kevin Phillips has told the Baggies to take a gamble on signing this former Leeds attacker.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.