Exclusive: Lai tipped to loosen WBA purse strings by pundit with new arrival reportedly close
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 owner Guochuan Lai to loosen the purse strings a bit at The Hawthorns to allow Slaven Bilic to bring in a new striker.
It has been widely reported that Grady Diangana is on the verge of joining the Baggies on a permanent basis from West Ham with the Telegraph reporting that the Black Country club is paying an initial fee of £12million for the 22-year-old winger.
According to the Daily Mail, Diangana was booked in to undergo a medical with Albion on Friday morning as he closes in on a return to The Hawthorns.
Phillips feel that the deal for the England Under-21 international has taken a big chunk out of Bilic’s reported transfer budget of £25million when the West Brom manager is still in desperate need of a new centre-forward.
The ex-Albion striker feels that Lai could boost Bilic’s budget if the right striker becomes available before the Premier League season kicks off next week.
“If it’s true that Bilic only has £25million to spend, it doesn’t leave a lot left over to go out and get that striker that I still believe they need,” Phillips told West Brom News.
“I still feel that the owners will make more funds available if the right striker comes along and they have to pay a bit more.”
West Brom have been linked with a number of strikers since the end of last season with Troy Deeney, Michy Batshuayi and Karlan Grant perhaps being the most likely targets at the moment.
It’s been reported that Watford’s Deeney [Telegraph] and Chelsea’s Batsuayi [Express & Star] could head to the West Midlands on loan while the Birmingham Mail has reported that a £16million bid for Grant has been turned down by Huddersfield.
If the talk of Bilic’s £25million budget is true then he doesn’t have that £16million to spend straight away so any further business is bound to include structured payments that sees the club fund players via instalments.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies have been linked with a Chelsea defender.
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