West Bromwich Albion finished rock-bottom in the Premier League standings at the end of last season and now they will have to sweat it out in the Championship with 23 other Premier League aspirants. Things will certainly get tougher now but the board and the fans will hope they can engineer an automatic qualification under the guidance of the positive and affable Darren Moore.
Moore has already signed Sam Johnstone from Manchester United for £6.5million and according to one of the latest reports by Swedish outlet Expressen, West Bromwich Albion are set to target Leeds United centre-back, Pontus Jansson. Jansson is unarguably one of the pivotal figures in the arsenal of the Yorkshire based club and he has carved a credible name for himself in English football.
The Swede emerged through the youth ranks of Malmo FF and after making an impression with their senior side, he moved to Torino. In the summer of 2016, Jansson signed up for a season-long loan spell with Leeds United and owing to the excellent camaraderie he formed at the back with Kyle Bartley, he pencilled a permanent switch to the ranks of the Peacocks on a three-year deal in February 2017.
Jansson has acclimatized himself to the animosity of English football meticulously. He made 42 appearances in the Championship last term, during which he found the back of the net on 3 occasions. Besides, he mustered 1.2 tackles, 1.3 interceptions, 9.3 clearances and 0.9 blocks per game on an average and there is no denying that he has established himself as an instrumental figure at the club.
After the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa at the helm of the Yorkshire based outfit, the fans were quietly optimistic of their season ahead and believed that a change in fortunes was just round the corner. However, the club hasn’t really beefed up its arsenal adequately after a disappointing season last term. They have just brought in one new player in Lewis Baker from Chelsea on loan and the perceived lack of ambition shown by Andrea Radrizzani is being questioned once again.
Like Bielsa’s side, the Throstles will also be aiming for promotion and thus, the apparent rumour of the Baggies’ interest to lure Jansson to the Hawthorns will only damage Leeds United’s aspirations further if the same materializes. The 27-year-old is a shrewd defender who reads the game brilliantly and is superb in the air. Besides, he has accumulated plenty of experience under his belt and it will be really difficult for Leeds United to find a replacement for him if he is allowed to make an exit.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
