Steve Bruce has admitted that scouted West Brom striker Karlan Grant during his time in charge of Premier League giants Newcastle United, speaking to the Birmingham Mail.
When the Baggies completed a £15 million deal for Grant in October 2020, the former Huddersfield Town talisman was supposed to score the goals to keep them in the Premier League.
Considering that he found the net just once in 21 top-flight games – as Albion sunk like a stone – it’s fair to say things didn’t really go to plan.
Grant is belatedly proving his worth at the Hawthorns this season, however.
He is the only member of Bruce’s squad to score more than five league goals in 2021/22 (12) and it was Grant’s double away at Hull City last time out which secured the club’s first win since the departure of Valerien Ismael on February 2nd.
Can Karlan Grant still fire West Brom into the play-offs?
“I saw him at Charlton as a kid, and I always thought he was a striker,” explains Bruce.
“(When Grant was) at Huddersfield, I sent (assistant coaches) Stephen Clemence and Steve Agnew to watch him when we were first in at Newcastle. They came back with a glowing report.”
Huddersfield paid just £2 million to sign Grant from Charlton back in 2019.
18 months or so later, the Terriers were making a £13 million profit on a man who yet to consistently replicate his West Yorkshire form in West Bromwich.
“When you look at the statistics, he’s got one in three in the Championship,” Bruce adds, having re-positioned Grant through the middle after a spell out wide under Ismael.
“I always enjoy playing two up top. Whether it’s a number ten and a number nine, or however you want to play it.
“Thankfully it worked (against Hull). Karlan’s basic threat is that he wants to run in behind, which is important these days.”
Despite a dreadful run of form that begun the other side of Christmas, West Brom are not entirely out of the play-off picture just yet.
Yes, there are eight points separating themselves from sixth-place Luton Town. But, in this most topsy-turvy of leagues, an eight point gap can be eradicated in no time at all.
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