View: West Brom career looks over for 23y/o, club must find best offer
West Brom signed defender Cedric Kipre over the summer from Wigan Athletic but he is yet to play a second of Premier League football.
The 23-year-old has found himself behind Branislav Ivanovic, Kyle Bartley, Dara O’Shea and even the departed Ahmed Hegazi in the pecking order and does not look to have won over boss Slaven Bilic.
Given how little he has played it is difficult to make a real assessment on his quality, but West Brom have struggled defensively all season and he has not yet had a look in. That tells you a little bit about how Bilic views him.
Speaking on the topic last week, the Croatian said (via Express and Star): “January isn’t that far. I spoke to him a week ago, let’s say, and January is only in a couple of months. Then we’ll see what the situation is. Is it going to improve, his status, here? Or is he going to go on loan? Nobody knows right now.”
For Kipre a move away on loan appears to be the best option, but serious questions should be asked about why the Baggies brought in a player that they do not view as ready to play any sort of role in their Premier League campaign.
About to turn 24, Kipre is not a project for the future, but rather a player that should be able to come in and play a fairly substantial role immediately.
We do know that Bilic has had his issues with the strategy of the West Brom hierarchy in the past and was less than happy with the way that Hegazi left. So could this whole situation be part of him trying to send them a message about the way players are recruited? Who knows.
More pertinently for this season though, the Baggies cannot afford to waste resources and a quick decision needs to be made. If Bilic does not want Kipre, sell him and use the money to reinvest. It is quite clear that West Brom need a centre-back and if the former Wigan man is not the right one, find a better one.
In other West Brom news, why the Baggies are in the ideal position to add second win v Crystal Palace
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