West Bromwich Albion missed out on Islam Slimani last summer when he swapped Sporting Lisbon for Leicester City.
Since that hat-trick of headers against Swansea City in December of last year, Salomon Rondon has scored just once in the Premier League.
And the Venezuelan international appears to be quickly losing the support of the West Bromwich Albion fanbase, who took to Twitter to criticise another ineffectual performance as the Baggies went down 3-1 to Brighton on Saturday.
Yet, Rondon is likely to remain Tony Pulis’s first-choice striker for the time being; even an 18-game goal drought in the second half of last season did not change that. Therefore, West Brom fans could be forgiven for wondering why the club did not go all out for a new striker in the summer transfer window.
Especially with Jay Rodriguez, a £15 million signing from Southampton (Sky Sports), being utilised in a wide role and Hal Robson-Kanu lacking the consistency to be a regular top flight number nine.
Upgrade required?
The report claims that West Brom had a bid of £21 million rejected by Sporting Lisbon for Islam Slimani last summer but, with Leicester City seemingly willing to listen to offers earlier in the window, The Baggies decided against renewing their interest.
Three months on, their chance has passed them by for good with Leicester seemingly changing their stance and refusing to sell the Algerian before the transfer deadline.
And it is difficult to shake the notion that Slimani would have been the ideal upgrade for Rondon. Both are similar strikers, strong in the air and reliant upon quality service. And although Slimani endured a difficult first season in England, it appears he would be a far better fit for a West Brom side renowned for their set pieces than a counter-attacking Leicester team.
As it is, West Brom will be praying the out-of-form Rondon locates his shooting boots and fast.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
