West Bromwich Albion had a rather frustrating 2021/22 Championship season when it came to finding the net.
Despite racking up the third-highest number of shots in the division (646), the Baggies came last in terms of their percentage for shots on target (29.1%) among the 24 second-tier clubs.
One man in their squad who didn’t end up being much help in that regard is Kenneth Zohore.
After making two substitute appearances in Albion’s opening games of last season, the striker was not included in a senior matchday squad for the rest of the campaign.
Having not made an appearance for the Midlands club in the 2022/23 season so far, it’s safe to say that the Danish forward is not particularly high in the pecking order under Steve Bruce. Indeed, the Baggies manager even stated earlier this month that the 28-year-old “probably needs to move on” from The Hawthorns.
With one a few days left before the summer transfer window closes, it should be on West Brom’s mind to not only get Zohore – who has been described as “lazy” in the past by his former Cardiff boss Neil Warnock – out of the club, but to also bring in a suitable replacement who can have more of an impact.
Do West Brom need to get rid of Zohore?
One player who has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns and who could do exactly that is Reading striker Lucas Joao.
In 24 league appearances last season, the 28-year-old found the net 10 times and supplied three assists for his team.
Only current Baggies ace John Swift (78) took more shots that him for the Royals last term, while 20 of Joao’s 49 attempts were on target, leaving him with a shot on target percentage of 40.8%. That would have left only Karlan Grant (41.7%) with a better rate at West Brom out of players to have scored at least one goal.
Hailed as an “unpredictable” player in the past by Gary Rowett, it’s safe to say that the Reading star could be a vast improvement on Zohore and give the Baggies an extra boost up top, especially with Daryl Dike spending the next few weeks sidelined through injury.
Taking all this into account, if Albion want to have a better shot at winning promotion back to the Premier League, getting rid of Zohore and bringing in Joao could be a great way for them to do just that.
