West Brom are looking to add a winger, but who is their best bet?
West Bromwich Albion are determined to sign a winger this summer, and are close to signing Wigan’s James McClean, as reported SkySports.
HITC reported yesterday that the Baggies are showing an interest in Reading’s Hal Robson-Kanu, who has one year remaining on his contract, and is available at £2.5 million.
That’s steeper than the £1.5 million Wigan are reportedly asking for McClean, although both players have Premier League experience and would be seen as solid buys.
Here is a look at their records last season in the Championship by way of comparison.
| Team | Passing Accuracy | Dribbles per game | Key Passes per game | Crossing Accuracy | Successful Final Third Passes per game | Won Tackles per game | Goals | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hal Robson-Kanu | Reading | 73% | 0.83 | 0.9 | 28% | 5.66 | 0.62 | 1 | 29 |
| James McClean | Wigan | 70% | 1.25 | 0.97 | 19% | 5.33 | 1.08 | 6 | 36 |
McClean provided more of a goal threat, netting six times to Robson-Kanu’s one, but it was the Reading man who proved to be more reliable in terms of his passing and crossing.
Here is how they compared when both last played in the Premier League together, in 2012/13, when McClean was with Sunderland.
| Team | Passing Accuracy | Dribbles per game | Key Passes per game | Crossing Accuracy | Successful Final Third Passes per game | Won Tackles per game | Goals | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James McClean | Sunderland | 79% | 0.89 | 0.81 | 15% | 4.25 | 1.81 | 2 | 36 |
| Hal Robson-Kanu | Reading | 74% | 0.28 | 0.52 | 24% | 4.6 | 0.32 | 7 | 25 |
Robson-Kanu outscored McClean, playing in 11 fewer games and scoring five more goals, and that season was also more reliable in terms of his crossing.
McClean however in both campaigns was more of a danger dribbling, and created more goalscoring chances per games.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
