Carlton Palmer responds to West Bromwich Albion’s decision to release Karlan Grant this summer.
West Brom’s decision to allow Karlan Grant go for Cardiff City may come back to haunt them if their attacking injury problems deepen.
With Josh Maja out, Brandon Thomas-Asante is the only fit senior number nine, emphasising West Brom’s paucity of alternatives up front.
Although Grant’s statistics at Cardiff were not very outstanding, his pace and desire made him a continuous danger down the left, suggesting that West Brom may have regretted letting him go.
Carlton Palmer feels West Bromwich Albion may come to regret allowing Karlan Grant to join Cardiff City this summer if their attacking injury problems mount.
Josh Maja will be out for an extended amount of time.
Carlos Corberan had a difficult summer, as the Albion manager was forced to operate on a tight budget due to the club’s financial difficulties in recent years.
So the Baggies probably didn’t conduct as much business as they would have liked, albeit Josh Maja did join.
The former Sunderland man has been gradually introduced this season, but he has suffered an ankle injury after an outstanding cameo against Bristol City last time out.
With Maja out for eight weeks, Brandon Thomas-Asante is the sole available senior number nine.
As a result, some may wonder if Albion was correct to let Grant leave, as he would have been a viable alternative in this circumstance. Palmer repeated same sentiments in an interview with FLW.
“Due to Dike and Maja’s injuries, Brandon Thomas-Asante is the club’s only fit center-forward.” The choice to release Karlan Grant has come back to bite them. I thought Grant’s versatility, since he can play throughout the forward line, provided you a lot of good alternatives at the time. However, hindsight is a great thing.”
How did Karlan Grant do in Cardiff?
Grant has only scored one goal and provided one assist for the Bluebirds, so it’s difficult to claim he’s been a significant miss at The Hawthorns.
But he’s been a consistent danger down the left, with his pace and drive providing a solid outlet for Erol Bulut’s side, and the fact that he keeps choosing the 25-year-old suggests that he’s pleased with how he’s contributing.
Will Albion be sorry for letting Grant go?
There’s no question Grant would have been involved today, and you could argue that he should have stayed until January since they knew Daryl Dike would be out for a long time.
Nonetheless, Corberan plainly wasn’t a fan of the player, and the decision may have been made for non-football reasons. It’s possible that the club wanted to take Grant’s pay off the books for financial reasons, or that Grant was eager to depart because he needed guaranteed game time, which would have to come from somewhere else.
So, as Palmer argues, it’s simple to assess in retrospect, and it’s likely one the club regrets right now. However, there was no genuine anger at the moment, and Corberan’s side still has enough talent to produce results at this level.
What is next for West Brom?
Corberan’s team has gone three games without a win in the league, but he will have taken heart from portions of their last outing against Watford.
Albion’s next game comes at home against Millwall on Saturday at 3pm.
