Having scored just 24 goals and picked up just 20 points in 31 league games this season, West Bromwich Albion seem destined to play in the Championship next season and Alan Pardew, the current manager at Hawthorns, seems to have given up already. They are 10 points away from safety and need a miraculous turn around in form to retain their top-flight status next season.
But the manager is already looking for players to help him next season and is scouting for Spanish striker Guillermo Fernandez Hierro, usually called Guillermo.
A product of the academy at Athletic Bilbao, the 24-year old spent just three seasons with the senior side at the club, before he was sold to Elche. But just a year later, he was snapped up by Segunda Division B outfit Numancia, where he has now established himself in the first team. His highlight at Los Pajaritos was his brace against Real Madrid recently in the Copa del Rey.
He has five goals and two assists in 11 starts in the domestic league and has shown enough promise for West Brom and a few other English clubs to scout for him for the next season.
Quick and smart in his movement, Guillermo is a genuine goal-scoring threat in the final third, thanks to his deadly finishing and even better vision. He loves to drop deep and help in build-up play with flick-ons and short passes while also being productive in counter-attacking situations.
At 24, he has not represented his national side but has shown this season that he is ready to compete at the highest level. And reports claim that West Brom are convinced that he is the right man for their side this summer.
According to reports from The Sun, Alan Pardew is already planning for life in the Championship and is readying a £2m bid for Guillermo in the upcoming transfer window, which could be enough to lure him to Hawthorns.
The Baggies have Solomon Rondon and Jay Rodriguez to call upon at the moment with Daniel Sturridge, on loan from Liverpool, out injured. Neither of those stars are expected to stay with the club if West Brom drop to the second tier, making Guillermo a necessity for the club this summer.
There are a few options that are better than the Spaniard that Pardew should keep an eye on but at just £2m, he is certainly an exciting prospect to add to their side in the summer.
