View: Bilic comments will come as a huge relief for West Brom fans
This has been a difficult week for West Brom fans, with the Ahmed Hegazi situation creating a worrying rupture within the club.
The defender’s exit without the consultation of coach Slaven Bilic clearly upset the Croatian, with The Athletic reporting that the incident had further strained his relationship with the club’s hierarchy.
The report stipulated that the former West Ham United boss was unlikely to walk away from The Hawthorns, but nonetheless, the signs were worrying.
Fortunately, in the last 24 hours tensions seemed to have cooled, with Bilic confirming ahead of Monday’s vital clash with Fulham that he was ready to put the incident behind him.
“I want to close the chapter,” Bilic said (via Express and Star).
“I was very vocal and clear but for me, that story is finished. I wish Ahmed all the best. He is a top player and a top guy – a top professional. But I would rather talk about (Semi) Ajayi, about (Branislav) Ivanovic, about (Kyle) Bartley, (Cedric) Kipre, (Dara) O’Shea and (Lee) Peltier who are the players we have in that position.”
This outlook from Bilic is very positive and he is right to look ahead to Monday night, and how he can get the best out of the defenders he has at his disposal.
Ivanovic is an experienced player at Premier League level, but will turn 37 before the end of the season, while neither Ajayi or Bartley have yet proven themselves in the top-flight. Darnell Furlong has impressed offensively, but there too remain doubts about his defensive game.
There is a puzzle to solve in attack as well. Last season, Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira provided a combined 38 goals and assists, but Diangana has struggled so far this season. Pereira meanwhile has contributed one goal and two assists already, but has been far less effective in terms of key passes and dribbles than he was last year (via WhoScored).
Luckily, Bilic is the man who coaxed that form out of the two talented young players last season and he can be the man to do it again. In tandem with new additions Conor Gallagher and Karlan Grant, West Brom have the potential to remain a force in the Premier League, but they need the Croatian fully on board to do so. Thankfully, it looks like he is.
In other West Brom news, ‘Easy target’ – West Brom star hails work of Man United attacker