By Anthony Onifade

14th Nov, 2023 | 3:10pm

Chris Lepkowski urges Karlan Grant to quit West Brom after Cardiff City loan amid possible return in 2024

Chris Lepkowski has urged West Brom striker Karlan Grant to quit the club after his Cardiff City loan spell after Carlos Corberan admitted he may still have a future at the club.

The 26-year-old joined fellow the Championship side on a season-long loan off the back of a disappointing campaign with the Baggies, scoring just three times in 31 appearances.

Speaking to the Express & Star on 14 November, Corberan shared that the Baggies will reevaluate his situation when he returns and that Grant will still be a part of his plans as long as he is under contract at the club.

Grant still remains contracted at The Hawthorns until 2026 [Transfermarkt] but admitted (via BBC Sport, 3 November) that he has not heard from the club since he made the move to Wales.

And Lepkowski responding to journalist Joe Chapman’s stance that Grant still remains contracted to The Hawthorns for two years when he returns, tweeted: “Appreciate he’s under contract but his best bet is to make this loan work and agitate for a move. I wish him no ill, but we are a world away from the on-pitch toxicity he was so intrinsically part of.”

Departure best for all parties

After his struggles to get into the West Brom team last season, his move away this summer was always going to happen and it was counted as Cardiff City’s gain.

However, the forward has scored just one goal and registered two assists in his 16 appearances so far this season so the Baggies were probably right in their decision to axe him from the squad.

With the Baggies forced to cut costs, it made more sense to get the 25-year-old off the wage bill, with the Shropshire Star reporting in the summer (15 July) that Cardiff are covering the “vast majority” of his “significant” wages.

There was simply no point in keeping an unhappy player who was not in Corberan’s plans and given his deal still has three years left to run, that would have seen the Baggies waste millions of money given their terrible financial situation.

Corberan can’t openly come out and say Grant will leave upon his return to The Hawthorns in 2024 so it’s understandable the stance he’s just made.

Should a decent offer come in for the striker next summer, the Spaniard will certainly be open to it.

As Lepkowski points out, Grant is an unfortunate victim of West Brom’s toxic past and it’s best all parties come to an amicable conclusion when he returns.

In other West Brom news, Kyle Bartley has spoken about his disappointment after recent results.