West Bromwich Albion now seems set to appoint Carlos Corberan as the successor to Steve Bruce, and there are a few things that he could do at the Championship club to make himself an instant crowd favourite at The Hawthorns.
He will inherit a squad which has vastly underperformed this season, letting down not only the 61-year-old but caretaker boss Richard Beale too.
It will not be easy to turn the tide of a club in freefall, as they currently sit three points adrift of safety in the relegation zone, having won just one of their last 11 Championship games.
Of the decisions that Corberan could make to instantly get the crowd onside, binning off the toothless Karlan Grant must surely be at the top of his list.
Having been signed for big money from Huddersfield Town, his debut season in the Premier League was disappointing, netting just once in 21 games.
However, the 25-year-old quickly announced himself as a fine goalscorer in the second tier, as he bagged 18 goals and set up six more. It appeared that, if the Baggies were to return to the top flight, it would be spearheaded by the £20k-per-week marksman, of whom Bruce still said “can do more” for the club.
Who should Corberan start up front for WBA?
Alas, their abysmal form this season seems to be directly coinciding with his lack of quality up front. After just three goals in 15 games, Grant has experienced the biggest drop-off by far among Albion’s squad.
These consistently poor displays, one of which saw journalist Jonny Drury dub him “pedestrian”, have let West Brom down massively.
Although his deputy Brandon Thomas-Asante had hit the ground running at The Hawthorns, the former Salford man has offered little since scoring two goals in his opening two games for the Baggies, and it is this lack of competition which sees Grant continue to play despite his ailing form.
While Corberan might have to wait until January to sign reinforcements, assuming his proposed appointment is formalised, he must surely already be considering dropping the disappointing dud, with whom Albion supporters could become disenchanted as he continues to let them and the club down.
The Spaniard could instantly make himself a crowd favourite at The Hawthorns if were he to make a big call and drop Grant in favour of a new centre-forward.
