Grady Diangana could be West Brom’s most valuable player next season
Grady Diangana has had a year to forget but we are confident he can bounce back and reassert himself as a key player for West Brom next season.
He signed on a permanent basis last summer and carried big expectations on his shoulders but he has failed to live up to the form he showed in the Championship.
That is partly due to individual failings but Albion as a whole have not looked Premier League level and our attacking players have suffered because of that.
Matheus Pereira has also not looked himself in the top-flight and we will need the pair to be at their best if we are to compete at the top of the division next term.
Relegation is looming and that could lead Pereira to leave – should that happen Diangana may become our most important player.
It will depend on how the 22-year-old performs, of course, but he has the talent and ability to shine once more in the Championship.
Diangana managed eight goals and seven assists in 30 games in 2019/20 and wowed The Hawthorns crowd with his skill, at times flicking balls over his head and taking on opponents with speed and flair.
That led Lee Hendrie to call Diangana “magnificent” but he has not been able to express himself in the top-flight due to the team’s underperformance and injury has really curtailed his season.
The winger has not started a match since the first game of 2021 against Arsenal, and as a result has completed a full 90 minutes just six times in the league.
A refreshed Diangana should be eager to prove himself next year and dropping a level in quality should bring the best out of him.
It is also likely to be a big summer of change for Albion with a number of loanees set to return to their parent clubs.
A player who knows the club and knows the Championship will be important, therefore, and Diangana fits that criteria.
Appointing a manager who plays with an expansive style – like Slaven Bilic did – could also prove valuable in allowing Diangana to thrive.
In other West Brom news, Sam Johnstone has asked Fantasy Premier League to leave an Albion joke out of an interview.
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