West Brom are very keen admirers of their loanee Grady Diangana, but what are the chances they are able to clinch him long-term? Can he become a permanent fixture at the Hawthorns? And for how much? All has been revealed, at least in the eyes of The Athletic correspondent Steve Madeley.
What’s he said?
During the January transfer window, Albion sealed the 21-year-old on loan for the rest of the season by sweetening his parent club, West Ham United, with a little boost to their financial coffers.
It was also reported by The Sun that the Baggies were keen on making his temporary switch permanent for £10m, although it remains to be seen when they would plan on doing so as the enigmatic is under contract in east London until 2025.
Madeley was asked in a recent Q&A about the chances of that move actually happening, and how much it would cost, to which he replied:
“He likes it at Albion, Adam, so if they get promoted then I’d give them a chance. The asking price would be somewhere north of £15m, I’d imagine – maybe even £20m-plus, given he is young, home-grown and English. So I don’t see how Albion would afford it in the Championship but they probably could as a Premier League club.
“Much would depend, though, on whether West Ham are willing to sell, whether they stay up and, if they don’t, on what assurances he is given about his future there. Much as he’s enjoyed his time at Albion, West Ham are a more established Premier League club, based in his home city who generally pay better than Albion would.”
Steve Madeley, The Athletic.
No-brainer
Although this would be a bold and audacious move by the west Midlanders, it ultimately is one they should do their utmost to try and pull off. It’s simply a no-brainer.
Madeley suggests Albion would have a chance, and it would take £15m-£20m+ which will be pennies if West Brom secure promotion as local rivals Aston Villa pocketed around £170m alone for winning the playoffs last season, which will only increase with TV revenues and staving off relegation.
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Diangana has been an integral part of their success so far this season with the Baggies sitting top of the Championship table – somehow following a run of one win in eight league games. The Hammers loanee has directly contributed to 11 goals this term.
Following the Stoke City defeat on January 20th, Slaven Bilic’s men had won 62% of matches with him in the side whereas just 14% in his absence, which speaks volumes on his influence and worth to this team.
Call yourself a Championship expert? Name all the top-scorers from each of these Championship seasons…
He’s currently absent through injury so they’ll need him back at the earliest opportunity to bolster their title bid, and should they gain promotion back to the Premier League then a permanent return for Diangana can’t be ruled out of the equation just yet.
And in other news, West Brom have missed out on the next Luka Modric as Bilic pulled out of a loan switch late on deadline day…