West Bromwich Albion could be soon preparing for life without Brandon Thomas-Asante leading the line, with a surprise suitor in Southampton reportedly interested in the 25-year-old this transfer window.
The former Salford City man could go on to become a hit in the Premier League with the Saints if he does sign on the dotted line, but the Baggies won't be too gutted to see the back of him if he is moved on, when looking at how inconsistent he has been at the Hawthorns.
Although Thomas-Asante did suffer from barren patches of form in the Championship last season, Carlos Corberan would still have to replace the out-going attacker if he were to depart, with another chance potentially handed to his forgotten figure in the West Midlands to impress.
Karlan Grant's time at West Brom
The final nail in Karlan Grant's coffin at West Brom looked to have come last campaign when he was chucked out on loan to Cardiff City, with the predicted narrative then seeing Grant leave the club for good after this loan switch was up.
Instead, the forgotten 26-year-old attacker has been in and around Corberan's first team in pre-season to date, with an assist even registered in a behind-closed-doors friendly contest against Peterborough United recently.
The ex-Bluebirds loanee, away from creating chances galore from down the flanks, could also be seen as a potential replacement for Thomas-Asante leaving up top too in that lone striker spot, especially when you consider his previous prolific nature lining up in this position for the West Midlands outfit.
The 26-year-old forward has picked up 13 of his 24 overall West Brom goals from this more traditional centre-forward spot on the pitch, with the 2021/22 season seeing him notch up an impressive 18 strikes from 44 Championship contests, which is seven more than Thomas-Asante mustered up battling away for the Baggies last campaign.
Position played
Games played
Goals scored
CF
45
13
LW
34
10
RW
2
0
RM
1
0
SS
1
0
Corberan could still be willing to give Grant more chances when push comes to shove in the Championship going forward when you consider his ability to play in various different positions away from just leading the line too, glancing at the table above.
Those promising numbers down the left wing could potentially give fierce competition to the likes of Grady Diangana and Jed Wallace, therefore, and might well make up for Matt Phillips no longer being on the Baggies roster.
Grant could also bank the Championship promotion hopefuls a pretty penny down the line if he goes on to turn around his stuttering time at the Hawthorns and another club wants to then tempt him to move away, with his price tag – as per Football Transfers – actually higher than that of the Saints target.
Grant's transfer value in 2024
As per the site, Grant – despite having to pick up the pieces of his faltering career in Wales last season and prove himself – is still worth a hefty £2.6m, which is only just shy of Okay Yokuslu's £2.8m, despite the Turkish midfielder being such an in-demand presence currently.
Thomas-Asante, in contrast, is worth in the region of £2.2m, with Russell Martin's men perhaps viewing the 25-year-old as a cost-effective replacement for Che Adams ahead of their voyage back up to the Premier League.
Clearly, Grant managed to not completely embarrass himself away from West Brom in the Welsh capital for a lone season, helping himself to a respectable six goals and three assists to then open back up the door on his Baggies future.
West Brom ideally wouldn't want to lose Thomas-Asante, considering he was the second-tier club's top scorer last campaign, but if that was to become a reality very soon, giving Grant a chance in the spotlight again could be a bold call that pays off.
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