‘Secret weapon’ – Don Goodman hails West Brom player in 2-1 defeat v Newcastle
Don Goodman has hailed Darnell Furlong as West Brom’s “secret weapon” when they have the ball in the attack due to his aerial ability.
Furlong, 25, is only 5ft 11 tall but is one of the leading players in the Premier League when it comes to winning headers.
According to stats by WyScout, Furlong ranks 16th in the Premier League for the percentage of aerial duels he has won [57.1%]. He also ranks sixth for the number of aerial duels he’s been involved in [84].
Ex-West Brom and Wolves player Goodman pointed out Furlong’s aerial ability just before kick-off in the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday.
“As an attacking force, he’s a secret weapon in the air at that far post,” said Goodman on Sky Sports Main Event ahead of kick-off on Saturday.
Furlong more than just a secret weapon
It’s been such a bad start to the Premier League season for West Brom that it’s hard to talk about players in such high esteem.
But Furlong has undoubtedly been one of the least-worst players at The Hawthorns so far this season and his goal in the defeat to Newcastle shows that.
The former QPR right-back has scored one and assisted two goals in his 11 Premier League appearances for Albion this term.
According to WhoScored, only Matheus Pereira [1.1] has completed more crosses per game than Furlong [0.9] in West Brom’s squad this season while he also ranks sixth in the Baggies squad for shots per game [0.9].
Furlong had only made three Premier League appearances before this season when he played a few times for QPR back in 2015.
But it’s good to see that he’s taking his first proper season in the top-flight in his stride because not many Albion players are doing that for Slaven Bilic.
In other West Brom news, a FIFA intermediary has warned Albion of transfer “turmoil” due to Brexit.
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