West Brom have looked like an entirely different side this season as Tony Pulis has somewhat gone against his own philosophy of playing hoof-ball. The Baggies have been pretty direct, but they have played some good football on the deck and the results have gone their way as well, which is why the pressure has eased off Pulis’ shoulders.
They are 8th in the league and even though they have been consistent against teams below them, they have struggled against the top six sides. Pulis has done a fantastic job, but to compete with the better teams, he’ll obviously need better players.
West Brom have a good team to challenge for the top 10 places but to need some squad depth to ensure they finish there and avoid a dip in form. Saido Berahino, who is set to leave soon, needs to be replaced, even though he hasn’t played much football in the last year or so.
In a bid to add more creativity, West Brom have been linked with Standard Liege striker Ishak Belfodil according to reports in Belgium. The 24-year old has resurrected his career after a few patchy spells in the Serie A and is making the headlines in Belgium with his consistent performances.
The Algerian has his breakthrough season with Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon but didn’t see consistent game time and had to move elsewhere. Parma offered him regular football and after a season where he managed eight goals in 33 League games, a move to Inter Milan followed. However, he didn’t feature frequently and was brought back by Parma who has a 50% right in his contract that they had earlier agreed with Inter.
He was a free agent when he was signed by Liege and has since then regained his goalscoring prowess in front of goal.
Belfodil is a well-round technical player and can pull off a skill or two to beat his man. At just 24, he’s already experienced a roller coaster of a ride and that could help him when he moves to the Premier League. He could easily take the pressure off Rondon or even play alongside him considering the Algerian’s versatility.
West Brom can do with a player like him as he can unlock defences with an audacious skill. He is unlikely to cost too much money either, so that’s always a plus as it’s not easy to get players for cheap in the inflated January transfer window.
