West Brom had a very average last season where they could manage just 34 goals throughout the Premier League campaign. Only Aston Villa’s goals tally was lesser than the Baggies. Thanks to Tony Pulis’ defensive gameplay and salvaging a considerable number of draws, West Brom are still a top-flight team. However, if things do not improve next season, the Midlands club are in deep, deep trouble.
Quite expectedly, Tony Pulis is quite desperate to add a new striker to his squad this summer as Saido Berahino’s future at the club is still up in the air. Jose Salomon Rondon had a disappointing debut season in the Premier League and Rickie Lambert also was not a success last campaign. The Baggies’ search for a new forward has taken them to Sporting Lisbon striker Islam Slimani if reports from The Daily Mail are to be believed.
According to The Daily Mail, West Bromwich Albion have made a whopping £21m bid for the Algerian international. Their offer for the 28-year-old would shatter the club’s transfer record, which was set last summer with a deal for Salomon Rondon. Although, the aforementioned report claims that Sporting are not happy with the offer from the Baggies and are holding out for a £26m fee.
Slimani has been one of the standout performers in Portuguese Primeira Liga over the last few years. The Algerian international scored 31 goals in all competitions last season for Sporting in all competitions and has scored 56 in 107 games for the Portuguese giants over three years. He arrived in Europe a bit late at the age of 25 when he joined Sporting in 2013 and since then, the story has been remarkable for the Algerian.
Blessed with a frame of 6 ft 2 in, Slimani excels in the air. Brilliant aerial ability is one thing you need to have when you are playing for a team managed by Tony Pulis. The Algerian international is also blessed with a decent pace and is a big threat on the counter. West Brom defend deep and when they get the ball, they try to hit on the counter. Slimani, with his sync of good pace and physical presence, would be an ideal centre-forward for West Brom.
Alongside Rondon, Slimani has all the ingredients to succeed in the Premier League. He is a natural goalscorer and has proved his proficiency at the international stage too having scored 23 goals from 43 international caps for Algerian. It will be a remarkable deal for West Brom if they can get a striker of Slimani’s caliber.
