‘Big ask’ – Kevin Phillips shares if Andy Carroll can replace Daryl Dike for West Brom
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 doubted whether Andy Carroll can replace Daryl Dike for West Brom and says any team would miss a player like him through injury.
Dike picked up a hamstring tear in his first start for the club after a permanent transfer from Orland City FC in January, ruling him out for two months.
West Brom have since brought in Carroll to try and replace him, but he is yet to score in five appearances for the club but is yet to convince Phillips.
“Well as soon as they get a goalscorer, you know, it’s the same with any side pushing for promotion. You need to score goals,” he exclusively told West Brom News.
“Karlan Grant has got a few this season, he’s the top goalscorer, but you need players in that side that are going to get you goals regularly. Any team would miss a goalscorer.
“Steve’s gone down the route of trying to bring Carroll in. Is he going to get you 10-15 goals between now and the end of the season? It’s a big ask.
“But when you bring a player of that calibre in you want him to get firing so naturally, you’d miss a player like that, of course.”
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Carroll has been surprisingly good since joining the club, with performances under Bruce one of the only bright points so far.
But his lack of goalscoring prowess means he hasn’t helped to solve the biggest problem in the side and West Brom’s issues have continued despite the change of manager.
Carroll’s record number of goals in a season is 19, which came in the Championship way back in the 2009/10 season. Since then he has managed to hit double figures only once and never since the 2010/11 season.
That’s a huge worry in a team that hasn’t scored for five games in a row and with their top scorer being Grant, with just ten goals all season.
In other West Brom news, View: Bruce experiment must end, player to be axed – Predicted West Brom XI vs Boro