West Brom must recall ‘star of the future’ Caleb Taylor to solve defensive woes
West Brom are now sat very precariously in 20th position in the Championship and something has to change quickly for Steve Bruce.
Wednesday evening saw Scott Hogan run the Albion backline ragged as he netted a hat-trick to sink the Baggies 3-2 at The Hawthorns and give local bragging rights to Birmingham City.
Kyle Bartley had a particularly tough time of it against the lively Hogan and with Semi Ajayi out injured for a number of weeks, West Brom could have serious problems in defence.
One player who could solve things would be Caleb Taylor who is currently on loan at Cheltenham Town but he is unable to return until January but it is something Bruce must do, if he is still in a job by then.
“He has made an excellent start,” journalist Jon Palmer said to Birmingham Live. “Considering this is his first loan, he has handled the step up from under 23 football extremely well.
“He has certainly made a positive impact with supporters. He was Cheltenham’s best player in the opening month of the season, in my opinion, and Robins fans will be aware they are watching a potential star of the future.”
That kind of glowing recommendation does not come lightly in football and with League One being an incredibly tough division across the board, he must be good to have held his own.
Bruce might not be in the job before January rolls around so he can recall him but if he is, it should be the first thing he does when the transfer window opens.
Bartley will soon be bombed out of the side if Taylor keeps performing as he is at Whaddon Road and West Brom won’t be able to ignore him any longer.
In other West Brom news, the exact timeframe of Ajayi’s injury was revealed by Bruce before Birmingham rolled his side over on Wednesday.