As per reports by Sky Sports, West Bromwich Albion are keen to prise Aleksandar Mitrovic out of St. James’ Park this month. The Baggies need attacking reinforcements as the lack of goals from their forwards is one of the reasons why they’ve struggled to make it out of the bottom three.
West Bromwich Albion are currently second from bottom in the Premier League table having collected 20 points from 24 games. Although Pardew was appointed to ensure their survival come the end of the season, they have a long way to go as they are really stagnating in the drop zone. For a team who should be challenging the mid-table, West Brom have scored just 19 goals this season, which isn’t helping their cause.
The Sun stated that the Magpies want £15million for Mitrovic who is back from his injury. So far this season, the 23-year-old has made just 6 substitute appearances, scoring one goal in the process.
Mitrovic – fact file
Mitrovic was signed from Anderlecht in the summer of 2015 and ever since his move to Tyneside, he has managed to score 14 goals in 33 appearances. His spell has hardly hit the heights many hoped for, however. Given that he is still young and has a lot of potential, a move elsewhere might help him in reshaping his career.
The Serbian might have had disciplinary issues but he can score goals and has accumulated some experience of English football. He is decent in the air and has the requisite pace to beat defenders on a foot race.
The problem with Mitrovic is, though, he needs good service from the midfield and the wide areas, something West Brom don’t necessarily have. Often used as a target man, Mitrovic would be too similar to Salomon Rondon who is arguably a better player to have up front as he is more of a complete player, as he showed in his spell at Malaga. Mitrovic is a handful when it comes of crunch games as his temperament isn’t easy for a manager to control either.
The Baggies do need forwards, but just strengthening one position won’t do. Unless the strikers get the service, it’s not going to get any better for the team.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored