This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
While things are hotting up in the race for the Championship title, the rumour mill is in full flow with the January transfer window less than a month away.
West Brom are no exception to either as it really is starting to look like them versus Leeds United for the title, and although they are yet to be linked with more than a couple of players, one is of serious interest.
According to 90min, Jarrod Bowen is a potential target for the Baggies, but they’ll face stiff competition from the Premier League and their aforementioned league rivals.
If manager Slaven Bilic is genuinely after the winger, then he could well be onto something huge.
On the Chalkboard
The 22-year-old must be one of the hottest properties in the division right now after 16 goals and three assists in all competitions at Hull City this season.
Though, he’s merely continuing on from a productive few seasons with him totalling 53 goals and 11 assists in 121 appearances for the Tigers – during which he’s played centrally as a number ten, on the other flank and even as a striker, per Transfermarkt.
Aside from his ability to excel in tight spaces, provide assist-churning passes and his clear knack for scoring, Bowen can actually offer West Brom an excellent option defensively.
In the last three seasons at the Yorkshire club, the wide man has averaged 1.2 tackles per game at the very least, while last campaign, he recorded a career-high average of 1.1 interceptions per match, via WhoScored.
This is something that no other winger in the squad can give Bilic – the man in his right-wing role is Matt Phillips, who averages 0.9 tackles and just 0.4 interceptions per game.
Bowen would even strengthen Albion despite the 28-year-old being their top goalscorer this season with seven goals, as he can allow the likes of Nathan Ferguson and Darnell Furlong to bomb on and overlap along the flanks – which is a key factor in Bilic’s tactical system.
As good as Phillips has been this season, a player like Bowen is quite simply a game-changing addition and is one that fits the Baggies down to a tee.
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In other news, is the Hull City star one of three who West Brom are reportedly after this January?
