£15m man should sweat over West Brom future as winger’s surprise exit goes cold: Opinion
West Brom forward Karlan Grant could be a casualty of Mikey Johnston’s shock switch to Flamengo hitting the buffers.
When West Brom signed Grant from Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2020, they agreed to pay £15m for his services. Since then, the 27-year-old has endured a mixed time with WBA.
In his debut season in the Premier League, he was only able to find the net once. Grant then bounced back with an impressive campaign, scoring 19 goals in the second-tier. However, the Baggies slumped to a disappointing 10th-placed finish.
Three years, a loan spell to Cardiff City and a temporary revival later – Grant finds himself entering the final year of his contract at The Hawthorns.
He may have felt a slight sense of relief seeing Mikey Johnston head to the exit door. Grant lost his place in the West Brom side after Tony Mowbray opted to select the Irishman over him when he arrived at the club last season.
However, the former Celtic winger’s move to Brazil is now in doubt.
The quick profit they would have made on Johnston is now seemingly off the table. Those at The Hawthorns could decide that Grant should be next to leave instead.
Championship rivals credited with an interest in Grant
Derby County reportedly hold an interest in bringing the 27-year-old to Pride Park.
According to TEAMtalk, Derby County have identified Grant as an alternative to former West Brom prospect Louie Barry. Whilst The Rams are monitoring the latest developments regarding Barry, they are keeping an eye on Grant amid fears of being priced out of a move for the Aston Villa youngster.
This comes after a move to the East Midlands was discussed in January, when Grant lost his place in the WBA side and Paul Warne was still in charge at Derby County.
Now with John Eustace at the helm, the Rams will be looking to build on the momentum that saw them escape relegation.
A victim of WBA managerial changes
The signs were looking very positive for Grant as he impressed Carlos Corberan when the West Brom squad returned for pre-season. Corberan placed his faith in Grant before his departure to Valencia as a result. The 27-year-old was in good form and had six goals and two assists at the time.
It had began to look like West Brom had found the right formula as they were looking for solutions after an incredible run of fixtures saw them draw 10 times in 11 games. When WBA’s form began to pick up, Grant was playing alongside Josh Maja with Johnston and Tom Fellows out wide.
However, Grant quickly lost his place and confidence when Mowbray returned to the club. The forward was unable to get a consistent run of games, adding only one goal in the second half of the campaign.
Championship clubs may be impressed by Grant’s form in the first few months of the 2024/25 campaign, and he is more than capable of being a good player in the second tier. Whether or not that will be at West Brom in the future remains to be seen.
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