‘Absolutely’ – Manager gives update on PL star who could be first Allardyce signing
Roy Hodgson wants to keep James Tomkins at Crystal Palace beyond the January window, in what is a cruel transfer blow to West Brom.
The former West Ham defender was linked with a reunion with Sam Allardyce at West Brom recently.
Amid claims he could be Big Sam’s first Baggies signing, Hodgson provided an update on the defender when asked if he remained in his plans, as reported by football.london: “Absolutely. If I have my way I’ll be keeping James Tomkins.”
Tomkins has been struggling with injuries of late and is out of contract at Selhurst Park in the summer.
Experience that comes with a risk
Allardyce would struggle to find someone cheaper with more Premier League experience than Tomkins in January, that is for sure.
As per Transfermarkt, Tomkins has made 263 Premier League appearances throughout his career and can also play across multiple positions.
Following West Ham’s promotion back to the Premier League – under Allardyce – Tomkins has been a mainstay in the Premier League.
However, the risk for the new Albion manager comes with Tomkins’ recent form – or lack of.
The 31-year-old is yet to feature in the Premier League this season and only made 18 appearances during the 2019/20 campaign.
While he has not been particularly injury-prone throughout his career, Tomkins simply has not played an awful lot of football in recent years.
No team in the Premier League has conceded more goals than West Brom this season, so anybody that Allardyce does bring in will need to hit the ground running.
In other West Brom news, Report names Premier League player Dowling wanted to sign – Bilic was right to block deal