West Bromwich Albion will be thankful for Brandon Thomas-Asante’s continued heroics up top, the former Salford City striker the only really fresh centre-forward available to Carlos Corberan last game who hasn’t been through the wringer with injuries.
Netting a brace as the Baggies easily beat Blackburn Rovers 4-1 last time out at the Hawthorns, the Spanish manager would have restless nights if the 25-year-old was ruled out with a long-term injury layover.
Signing Andreas Weimann this week has eased the dependency West Brom have on their star number 21 to lead the line on his own, but with Josh Maja set to be out for the remainder of this campaign and Daryl Dike’s sketchy injury record making the Baggies understandably anxious, the rumour mill points in the direction of the West Midlands outfit potentially going after another centre-forward this month.
West Brom’s search for another striker
With West Brom previously believed to be in for in-demand striker Kieffer Moore, Corberan’s men could now turn their attention elsewhere to bolster their depleted forward positions.
A recent transfer report by the Daily Mail indicated that West Brom were keen on young West Ham United starlet Divin Mubama to add firepower to their ranks, but the newspaper did also state that the Hammers were a bit apprehensive about letting the 19-year-old go out on loan.
Subject to interest from promotion rivals Sunderland too – who are also desperate to add more sharpshooters to their toothless attacking spots – the Baggies will hope and pray that Mubama’s Premier League parent club allow him time away to flourish in the Championship.
It could well be argued that Mubama is an upgrade on the injury-stricken Maja, with the ex-Black Cats striker wasteful in the second tier in the past.
Whereas, the 19-year-old West Ham prospect could explode into life in the division below potentially off the back of his prolific time in the youth set-up in London terrorising Premier League 2 defenders.
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The stats that show Mubama is better than Maja
In total for the Hammers at youth level to date, the imposing 6-foot striker has bagged an astounding 56 goals from 88 appearances.
That has seen him knocking on the door of first-team opportunities at the London Stadium in recent times, even helping himself to a senior goal here and there to leave a lasting impression on Moyes hence the Scotsman’s hesitation at losing the 19-year-old.
Maja, in contrast, was never as prolific coming through at Sunderland with just nine goals managed at youth level before making a splash for the Black Cats in the senior side.
Despite showing off his goalscoring prowess in League One for Sunderland eventually – netting 15 goals during his breakout 2018/19 season – the 25-year-old has been ineffective in the level above with just three senior goals managed in the Championship.
Although Mubama has never tasted the cut and thrust of the second tier in his fledging career so far, the hype attached to his name alone should see him blossom into a sharpshooter in at senior level if the pressure isn’t too distracting and he’s given time to strut his stuff.
Winning the coveted prize of Young Hammer of the Year last campaign, academy manager Kenny Brown waxed lyrical about Mubama’s exceptional goal record when quizzed on the youngster’s immense ability – “he has truly enjoyed an incredible season.”
Played alongside seasoned Championship pros in Alex Mowatt and Jed Wallace on his potential arrival, with ex-Leeds United midfielder Mowatt coming into his own recently with displays of swagger when orchestrating attacking moves, Mubama’s instinctive knack of finishing off chances for the youthful Hammers should come to the forefront for West Brom.
Mowatt notching up 1.5 key passes on average this season per 90 minutes, Mubama could well score goals by the bucket load – away from the comforts of youth football – when pulling on a West Brom strip next to the creative powers of experienced figures such as Mowatt helping him out.