Natalie Sawyer blown away by Valerien Ismael, shares West Brom 2021/22 prediction
Natalie Sawyer is adamant that West Brom fans are in for a positive season in the Championship under new manager Valerien Ismael.
The talkSPORT host, formerly of Sky Sports, was speaking in a video posted by Boyle Sports Twitter, where she professed her excitement for Albion supporters under the stewardship of the Frenchman.
“It’s a clean slate at West Brom now because they’ve got their new manager in Valerien Ismael,” she said.
“I know there were a few players who weren’t involved last season who have been told that it’s a clean slate.
“I liked Ismael at Barnsley, what he did with them last season was simply incredible. The football they played, no one expected Barnsley to play like that with the high-intensity and high-pressing, and I know he’s going to bring exactly that to West Brom.
“The football that he brought to Barnsley, if he can bring that to West Brom then Baggies fans are going to enjoy the season. I think West Brom are a team to look out for, certainly.”
Glass half full approach
Sawyer sounds excited to watch Albion, and there are plenty of reasons why.
For a start, anything will surely be an improvement on last season. It will take a disaster of epic proportions to be hovering around the same area we were in during our Premier League stay, and Ismael’s fresh approach to football should be easier on the eye than Sam Allardyce.
The likes of Grady Diangana and Karlan Grant could also be set to light up the Championship after disappointing campaigns last year, while new recruits Alex Mowatt and Matt Clarke will bring considerable quality.
But it’s hard to escape some of the negative aspects – our star player, Matheus Pereira, is the centre of controversy after making his exit demands clear, while our other star performer in Sam Johnstone looks likely to also leave.
We’re also still yet to sign a new striker while central midfield needs strengthening after a trio of loan departures.
A lot rests on the first few games of the season – a few wins and we’ll forget about many of the issues surrounding the club at this present time, but if the results don’t quickly come, supporters are sure to look to the board and question the summer activity, or lack of it.
In other West Brom news, Fabrizio Romano delivered a significant Albion transfer update on Monday night.
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