West Brom now face serious threat of Brandon Thomas-Asante exit in January transfer window after Blackburn Rovers win
Brandon Thomas-Asante’s starring role as West Brom overcame Blackburn Rovers 4-1 on Saturday 13 January may have come at a cost to the club.
It emerged that there is “serious” interest in the Baggies striker during the current transfer window via Lewis Cox in the Express & Star the day before the game, with the likes of John Swift also eyed by rivals.
Despite advancements in the takeover process putting Shilen Patel into the box seat to complete a buy-out of Guochuan Lai the Albion are still obliged to lower their wage bill, leaving them at risk of needing to let players go if suitable offers arrive, thanks to the financial picture that has built up during the latter’s time as majority shareholder.
Thomas-Asante, 25, has now scored nine Championship goals this term, adding two more assists, and could have had his hat-trick at The Hawthorns on Saturday if a Dominic Hyam own goal had been credited to him.
Having already arrowed the Albion into a two-goal lead with a low finish from outside the area on half an hour, the West Brom third quickly went in with the striker in the right place as a rebound off the keeper went in via a combination of Hyam and Thomas-Asante, before he restored the three-goal lead just after the hour with a sharp close-range finish high into the net.
If teams were already looking at the former Salford City striker then his performance in a heavy Baggies win this weekend has almost certainly heightened the chances that a bid will be on the cards before the deadline, with “serious” interest sure to be even greater now.
Despite the return to action of Daryl Dike this is not a squad that can easily afford to lose a striker, with Josh Maja already out for what might be the rest of the season.
Thomas-Asante’s scoring record may not be mind-blowing but his importance to Carlos Corberan can’t be underestimated when he is the only central forward who has been fit regularly this term.
His 25 Championship appearances, of which 22 have been starts, show how he has been shouldering the burden of leading the West Brom line all season, and even where he hasn’t found the net has made valuable contributions in maintaining the shape of the side which is comfortably fifth in the table despite the difficulties they have had to negotiate this term.
The manager almost certainly needs to add a striker this month if he can afford to, but if Thomas-Asante is snapped up it will become critical as there is no guarantee yet that Dike’s miserable injury luck has turned.
The news that there is “serious” interest in signing the regular West Brom striker was concerning enough of a threat, and while it was a welcome performance against Blackburn for him to show why teams would be after him it has surely moved him a few steps closer to any potential exit.
In other West Brom news, another permanent Baggies exit is now set to happen amid the worrying financial situation at the club.