Kevin Phillips: Karlan Grant can go down as West Brom hero if he fires them to promotion
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips has tipped Karlan Grant to become a “hero” at West Brom if his goals fire the club back to the Premier League this season.
Grant, 24, scored his eighth Championship goal of the season on Wednesday night as Albion won 1-0 against Hull City at The Hawthorns.
It’s the third time this season that a goal by Grant has secured a win for the Baggies as they remain third in the table and well in the hunt for automatic promotion back to the top-flight.
Grant struggled last season in the Premier League despite Albion agreeing to pay £15million to Huddersfield for the striker.
Before this season started, many would have considered Grant to have been an expensive flop but Phillips feels that can change.
When asked if Grant can justify his price-tag this season, Phillips told West Brom News: “100 per cent. If he scores more than 20 goals this season and is successful in helping West Brom get promoted then, then he’ll have certainly justified his price-tag and the length of his contract.
“It hadn’t been an ideal start for him but we knew there was a goalscorer in there, we saw it at Huddersfield. But it was just about finding a way to get it out of him.
“As I’ve always said, strikers live on confidence and if you get one goal, you get another one and if your manager keeps playing you, it don’t half pay dividends.
“Karlan Grant is a classic example.
“He’s full of confidence, bagged another goal last night to get the win.
“If he scores 20-plus goals and helps West Brom get promoted then he’ll go down as a hero and will certainly justify the fee and finances they’ve agreed to pay.”
In other West Brom news, Neil Lennon was thrilled with this Albion fringe player in the win over Hull.
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