Southampton reportedly agreed a fee with West Bromwich Albion for Charlie Austin but he is not heading to The Hawthorns.
There are two schools of thought when discussing whether Charlie Austin would have been a good addition to West Bromwich Albion’s squad.
On one hand, he is a proven Championship goal-scorer who found the net 68 times in 129 games for Queens Park Rangers and Burnley in the second tier. And with West Brom losing both Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez, Austin could, in theory, have added some much needed firepower in the final third.
On the other, however, he is 30 these days and his injury record is rather worrying. With Southampton demanding £8 million, he’d have been an expensive risk for a West Brom side who aren’t exactly flooded with cash.
According to the Mirror (14 July, page 67), West Brom and Southampton agreed a fee for Austin, only for the Berkshire-born striker to turn down a move to The Hawthorns.
Though West Brom fans are hardly wringing their hands in concern. Instead, it seems that they are quite glad to have been snubbed by a striker who’s found the net just 16 times in 71 Premier League games for The Saints.
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