West Brom have ready-made replacement at The Hawthorns for Dara O’Shea as exit news revealed
West Brom defender Cedric Kipre is a ready-made replacement for Dara O’Shea should the Republic of Ireland international leave the club this summer, according to the Sunday Mirror.
Carlos Corberan’s Baggies side will enter the new Championship season without the safety net of parachute payments, so they will listen to offers for big-name players such as O’Shea and Grady Diangana in the summer transfer window.
However, if West Brom were to cash in on O’Shea, who is contracted with the club until 2025, both Kipre, who impressed on loan at Cardiff last season, and academy graduate Caleb Taylor, have been tipped as likely replacements.
“There are replacements for the defender already in the ranks, should Albion boss Carlos Corberan need one,” the Sunday Mirror wrote. [11 June, page 72]
“Cedric Kipre will return from a loan spell with Cardiff and youngster Caleb Taylor has been earmarked for a place in the first-team squad following a season-long move to Cheltenham.”
Trust the youth
Although West Brom have managed to attack transfer markets with aggression in recent years, Corberan will have to be shrewd in his business this summer and look to utilise the loan and free agents market wisely.
The Daily Mail previously reported on 29 April that the Spaniard would be forced into an immediate fire sale of players if they failed to gain promotion to the Premier League, with attacker Karlan Grant also named as a first-teamer up for grabs.
If the Baggies lose such players, dipping into the academy reserves and using players such as Kipre will be key. The 26-year-old centre-back was a mainstay in the Bluebirds’ defence last season, making 42 Championship appearances and popping up with three goals as the club scraped past relegation.
The Ivory Coast Under-23 international is now ready for a first-team opportunity at The Hawthorns, and the exit of O’Shea could present just the opening.
Yes, the club are going to lose a number of big-name players, but talented replacements are waiting in the wings for a chance to shine.
In other West Brom news, an ex-player was left furious after a recent behind-the-scenes exit.