James Morrison has Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba puzzle to solve at West Brom as game time comes into question
James Morrison has been giving Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba limited minutes to impress at West Brom.
The Albion youth graduate returned to the club in the winter window, joining from Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season.
The winger joined when the Baggies were still under the management of Eric Ramsay, who opted to play him a lot more than Morrison is right now.
West Brom owe no loyalties to Villa, and there are no reported clauses that suggest Jimoh-Aloba needs game time, but his performances have certainly shown his use in glimpses.
With just eight games remaining of the Championship season, some may be wondering the part that the teenager has to play in Albion’s push for survival.
- Read more: How has Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba performed so far for West Brom? Stats suggest breakthrough nears
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Jimoh-Aloba arrived at The Hawthorns just days after scoring a winning goal off the bench for Aston Villa in their Europa League victory over RB Salzburg.
Since arriving back at the Black Country Club, the winger has made three league starts, all of which have come under Ramsay.
- Jimoh-Aloba has played 14 senior games in total during his career
- He signed for Aston Villa from West Brom’s youth academy in 2023
From the outside looking in, Morrison seems to be in a bit of a pickle over what to do with the 19-year-old. However, if recent trends are anything to go by, then it’s clear to see that Jimoh-Aloba will remain an impact sub while at West Brom.
The versatile forward has managed to play just 260 minutes since arriving at The Hawthorns in the winter, and to put that into perspective, January signing Max O’Leary has already managed 976 minutes for the Baggies.
As highlighted by Sofascore, the on-loan star has an average rating of 6.81, with a high chances created ratio of 2.08 per 90 minutes.
It’s just his minutes which look to be lacking at the moment, and that could stay the same.
Who is Jimoh-Aloba’s direct rival for starting spot?
Jimoh-Aloba, naturally a left-winger, faces a huge challenge to break into the team ahead of Isaac Price.
Morrison has recently switched to a 4-4-2 variant with Price on the left, and Jimoh-Aloba sitting on the bench as an impact substitution.
The Villa star grabbed an assist off the bench in the 3-0 win over Hull City, but actually replaced Jed Wallace, the first goal-scorer of the match. However, with Wallace high up in Morrison’s estimation, it’s hard to see Jimoh-Aloba breaking into the squad on either flank.
Jimoh-Aloba completes 2.08 dribbles per match, something which Wallace doesn’t offer, but Morrison’s issue is that he needs to find balance with experience and youth on the pitch.
Right now, it seems like Jimoh-Aloba’s best place is on the backseat at Albion, and he will be called up in games where his pace and skill are needed to break down a defence.
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