Lee Hendrie tells West Brom to sign striker he has hardly watched
West Brom have a new manager in place and can now ramp up plans ahead of the 2025-26 Championship campaign.
The Baggies are hoping to strengthen under new boss Ryan Mason, after a disappointing last season saw them finish outside of the Championship play-off spots.
The 33-year-old is taking his first steps into full-time management, after two previous spells as interim boss of Tottenham.
And Mason may already have a target or two in mind, with the hope of Shilen Patel backing him handsomely over the coming weeks.
Hendrie backs West Brom to sign Shankland
Josh Maja was West Brom’s top goalscorer in the Championship last season with 12, but his closest challengers – Alex Mowatt and Karlan Grant – could only muster seven each.
Unsurprisingly, a focus on improving those numbers next season has been set for the transfer window.
Shankland could be just the man needed for West Brom in that department.
And giving his views to Football League World (7 June), Hendrie backed Albion to pursue a move for the free-agent forward.
“He’s been key and instrumental at Hearts, scoring lots of goals,” Hendrie said. “Some might say the step-up to the Championship is very similar in comparison to the Scottish league.
“They have to bring in a fresh identity, which is an area they’ve struggled with in the centre-forward role. They haven’t been able to bring someone in who can score goals consistently.”
Shankland had somewhat of an off-season in Scotland, managing just four goals in the Scottish Premiership as Hearts suffered a disappointing season themselves.
The striker’s overall output since joining from Belgian club Beerschot in 2022, however, has been very impressive.
Shankland has found the net 68 times since making the switch to the Scottish capital, registering a huge total of 31 goals in all competitions in the 2023/24 season.
The hopes of the striker hitting anywhere near that in the Championship makes the move worth exploring for West Brom, according to Hendrie, who admits he hasn’t seen a great deal of him up close.
“He is someone who can play as an attacking midfielder and through the middle, so he’d probably be a really good signing for West Brom, not that I’ve seen a lot of him, but goals speak volumes and that’s what West Brom need,” Hendrie added.
Shankland would add reliability to an uncertain West Brom attack
Both Maja and Daryl Dike have certainly shown promise for West Brom.
The former, especially was electric from the start of the 2024-25 season but, like Dike, was struck down by a significant injury.
Grant, on the other hand, managed to stay fit throughout the season, but often found himself pushed wide of, or behind, another striker.
What Shankland lacks in experience in the English Football League, he makes up for with a track record of consistent fitness and goalscoring.
The Scot may not light up the Championship, but for a low-risk move, his ever-presence should prove hugely valuable to a team seeking stability.
And in the best-case scenario, Shankland will rediscover the form that, just two years ago, had him established as the most prolific forward in Scotland, with a golden boot to prove it.