Valerien Ismael is already planning a raid of West Bromwich Albion with Championship hitman Daryl Dike lined up for a summer move to Turkish giants Besiktas, as reported by Haber365.
Ismael won’t be winning any popularity contests in and around the Hawthorns any time soon.
But any remaining shreds of goodwill on behalf of the more forgiving members of the West Brom fanbase will be eviscerated from existence if the former Baggies boss returns to his old stomping ground in an attempt to snatch one of the few players in Steve Bruce’s squad au fait with ‘Val-ball’.
Along with Calum Styles, Cauley Woodrow and co, Dike was one of the star performers in Barnsley’s shock run to the play-off semi-finals in 2020/21.
West Brom paid around £7 million to bring the all-action American back to English soil in January. Any hopes Ismael may have had of seeing Dike emulating his remarkable impact at Barnsley in West Brom colours soon went up in smoke, however, with the winter arrival suffering a hamstring injury in just his second game back.
Is Daryl Dike leaving West Brom already?
It seems unlikely that West Brom would be willing to listen to offers for Dike already.
Especially when you consider that Bruce, Ismael’s successor, tried to sign the former Orlando City starlet when he was still the manager of Newcastle United.
According to reports coming out of Turkey, Ismael wants to reunite with Dike for a second time at the Vodafone Park this summer.
The Frenchman was hired as Besiktas’ new manager over the weekend, just a couple of weeks after his overdue and largely drawn-out West Brom departure.
Haber365 adds that Besiktas could offer £2.5 million to take Dike on loan for the season. An expensive purchase clause will also be added to the deal.
“I’m delighted we have completed the transfer of Dike,” Ismael said of the Oklahoma-born forward, who he previously described as ‘unbelievable’ at Barnsley.
“He was always our first target and priority.
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“Dike has everything we need from the number nine position. He has energy, strength, he challenges defenders and he scores goals.
“I worked with him at Barnsley and I know him very well. He has the mentality. He is 21 years old and is still a young player – but he has a lot of experience.”
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