West Bromwich Albion are in need of offensive reinforcements and if reports are anything to go by, they are looking for a striker to lead their attack. There have been numerous rumours linking them with offensive players.
The Baggies are looking to bolster their attack and according to reports, they are interested in signing Leicester City striker Islam Slimani. The Algerian has had a mixed season at Leicester, managing 8 goals in 29 appearances in all competitions.
The 28-year-old has various clubs vying for his signature which could set off a tug of war among a host of clubs like West Ham and West Brom. Slimani’s old club are also reportedly interested in re-signing the player and Leicester are also said to have been considering offers for the player whom they bought last summer for a club record fee.
Despite a rather underwhelming season with the Foxes, Slimani could easily turn his time around in England and begin afresh with West Brom. He had a fairly good season before that where he notched up an astonishing 31 goals in his last 44 appearances for Sporting Lisbon.
Although Slimani played regularly under Claudio Ranieri, he fell below in the pecking order once Craig Shakespeare came in. The opportunities he was were few and far between and Slimani failed to live up to the expectations of the fans.
His lacklustre performances come down to the fact that Slimani was ill-suited to Leicester’s tactics. Leicester played mainly counter-attacking football and they weren’t that reliant on set pieces and aerial crosses. They only had a few players up ahead who could hold the ball up field and try to catch the opposition on the counter.
This didn’t particularly suit Slimani who is someone who loves aerial duels and likes to have people accompany him offensively. Slimani likes to attack aerial balls and has shown great skill and technique finishing off aerial chances.
At West Brom, he could get exactly that under Tony Pulis who’s emphasised on set-pieces. Adding someone like Slimani to their arsenal could help West Brom a great deal. Also, as far as the criticism is concerned, many of them are not justified and Slimani still has it in him to carry the weight of attack in the Premier League for a club like West Brom.
It remains to be seen whether the player chooses to stay in England and if he does it will be interesting to see which Premier League clubs he moves to. What’s certain is he is better than the player we saw at Leicester and he should be given another chance considering it was his first campaign in England.
