Jamie Paterson is not the answer to West Brom attacking issues
West Brom need attacking reinforcements in January – but Swansea City forward Jamie Paterson is not what they are looking for.
The 29-year-old has been linked with a move to the Hawthorns by the Daily Mail following an impressive season so far in South Wales.
Paterson joined the Swans on a free transfer in the summer but only signed a one-year contract, so could be available for a cut-price fee in January.
There is no arguing with the forward’s form this season and his statistics speak for themselves – eight goals and four assists in 20 matches places him seventh for goal contributions in the Championship this season. Swansea boss Russell Martin has hailed him as “fantastic” for the impact he has had.
On paper, this depicts Paterson as the solution to Albion’s attacking woes; the Baggies have scored just two goals in their last six matches so need to add quality in the final third.
But what Valerien Ismael needs is a prolific centre forward and Paterson is neither of those things.
Yes, he has found goalscoring form this season, but historically he has not been a regular scorer. This is the first campaign since 2013-14 where he has scored more than six goals, so it is not a guarantee that he could be relied upon to take on the burden upfront at the Hawthorns.
Position-wise, Paterson is not a focal point. He has tended to play just behind Joel Piroe for Swansea this season, in much the same way that the likes of Karlan Grant and Grady Diangana have supported Albion’s central striker.
If he was signed to play that role in Ismael’s system then he would add quality and increase competition, but it would still leave a problem upfront.
Jordan Hugill is woefully out of form having scored just once in his loan spell from Norwich City, so the Baggies should prioritise finding a new number nine over players playing slightly further back.
Of course that is not an easy task at the best of times, but particularly so when West Brom are unlikely to be willing to splash the cash in January.
But as Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dominic Solanke continue to spearhead promotion charges at Fulham and Bournemouth, Albion will be left behind if they do not find a talisman of their own.
In other West Brom news, Steve Madeley has cast doubt over Albion’s chances of signing their priority transfer target.
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