Carlos Corberan makes Jeremy Sarmiento first team decision after crushing new West Brom blow
West Brom manager Carlos Corberan has taken a first-team decision on Jeremy Sarmiento after news emerged that Josh Maja will be out for at least two months.
Birmingham Live journalist Joe Chapman taking to his personal Twitter account (19 September) shared that Corberan has indicated that Sarmiento will now be likely to start at least one of the two Championship games either against Watford on Wednesday 20 September or Millwall on Saturday.
This comes after the Baggies confirmed on Tuesday that Maja tore his ankle ligaments against Bristol City and will now sit out of action for eight weeks and will likely be back training after the international break in November.
Chapman tweeted: “Carlos indicates that Jeremy Sarmiento will start at least one of the two games to come this week.”
Sarmiento chance
Had it not been for the injury suffered in the final moments against Bristol City, Maja would almost certainly have started against Watford at Vicarage Road on Wednesday 20 September after his impressive cameo.
Maja was signed by Corberan to significantly bolster their attacking numbers after his tremendous exploits for Bordeaux, registering 16 goals and six assists in 38 Ligue 2 appearances and the Nigerian international looked set to be the answer to West Brom’s goalscoring issues.
However, that has been taken a real hit with this latest injury development which leaves Corberan wondering where his goals will be coming from now, with Thomas-Asante struggling to score regularly.
The Spaniard will certainly have to get creative tactically and in terms of personnel to ensure his team have the perfect balance in defence and more crucially in creating and scoring goals in attack, and this may now be Sarmiento’s chance to gain some consistency in the West Brom starting eleven.
Sarmiento missed four months with a broken foot last term and is still building up his fitness, which means it may take time for him to hit some form but given Corberan’s depleted weaponry right now, that progress may have to be expedited.
The Brighton & Hove Albion loanee is an exceptionally gifted attacking commodity, one which will certainly prove a success at The Hawthorns and with what’s just occurred, he may have to make that inevitable impact sooner rather than later.
In other West Brom news, Corberan now faces an untimely crisis at The Hawthorns after a recent development.