View: West Brom outcast handed perfect opportunity to prove himself at Hawthorns
West Brom defender Cedric Kipre has been nothing short of an outcast at the Hawthorns since arriving from Wigan over the summer.
The enforcer has yet to feature in the Premier League, and his only two outings have come in the Carabao Cup for the Baggies.
Slaven Bilic handed Kipre a spot on the bench in the 2-1 defeat against Newcastle, but he still didn’t manage to get a taste of the top-flight.
Kipre could have just been handed the perfect opportunity.
Kyle Bartley has suffered a fresh injury blow and pulled up with a calf problem after the 5-1 defeat against Crystal Palace last week.
Birmingham Live reported on Monday that Bartley is set to be out over the Christmas period, and could miss the next four Premier League games.
Dara O’Shea came in at St James’ Park, and the youngster partnered Branislav Ivanovic and Semi Ajayi, although they failed to impress together.
With games against Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Leeds coming up, the Baggies may need to rotate should their poor defensive record continue.
This is what Kipre has been waiting for.
West Brom need to hold fire on their January plans after this latest injury news.
It was reported that the Baggies were set to loan out Kipre due to his lack of minutes, and that is the last thing he will want as he bids to prove himself.
Kipre was phenomenal in the Championship for a Wigan side fighting way above their weight last season, and those battling qualities could be perfect in these recent struggles for the Baggies.
The 24-year-old won over 70% of his defensive duels according to WyScout, and it is time for him to prove himself and fight for the Albion in these tough times.
In other West Brom news, Richard Keys slaughters the Baggies board in Bilic verdict
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