Carlos Coberan: West Brom forward Karlan Grant’s best role is out wide
West Brom manager Carlos Corberan insists fit-again forward Karlan Grant remains an “important player” in his squad, and that his best position is as a winger.
The 25-year-old was an ever-present figure under the previous regime with Steve Bruce both this season and the last, finishing as the club’s top scorer having prominently featured as a centre-forward.
Since Corberan’s appointment at the start of November, his role in the team has subsided due to constant injury trouble and illness – he hasn’t featured since the Spanish coach’s first game in charge against Blackpool.
However, the fit-again forward is in line to make his much anticipated return to action against Chesterfield in the FA Cup this weekend, a return which comes as a welcome boost to the Baggies in their push for promotion.
And boss Corberan during his press conference, [via Express and Star, 6 January] signified the player’s best role in the team and reiterated his importance.
“He’s a very important player for us,” Corberan said. “He was playing as a striker when he is not a striker, so he was putting in the effort to play in a position which is not his position.
“He’s more a winger, and it’s true that, for me, the injury that he had hampered his growing and movement into the first XI. His injury affected the fact that he couldn’t be involved with the team.”
Huge boost
Grant’s return to action does indeed come at a crucial point in the Baggies’ season. When on form, the 25-year-old arguably is one of their best players if not the best.
His speed, movement, and application were hugely important traits during Bruce’s disappointing tenure and it could well become even more crucial as West Brom continue their stunning renaissance under Corberan and push for automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
18 goals last season especially in a struggling side is hugely impressive. A record that highlights Grant’s importance and quality, something the Baggies need in abundance.
If Grant can return to that rich vein of form, there’s no reason why the club can’t surge towards the automatic promotion places, and even to an unthinkable title challenge with Burnley and Sheffield United. He is indeed an important player at The Hawthorns.
In other West Brom news, BBC pundit Chris Sutton predicts shock result in Baggies’ FA Cup tie with Chesterfield.