West Brom are loving life right now under Slaven Bilic.
Following his appointment in the summer, the Baggies currently sit atop the Championship table after 11 matches with just one blemish against their record.
That sole defeat came up at Elland Road as Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United somehow got the better of them despite being under the cosh for much of the game. It was so intense that Albion managed to rack up 70% possession for the last half an hour.
The west Midlanders responded perfectly days later, defeating Cardiff City, so the squad will head back into the domestic season full of confidence.
Not a lot of the Croatian’s decisions so far during his reign can be questioned. All of his summer signings have played some part in their success, witnessed most by Nathan Ferguson, who was promoted to the first-team squad during pre-season.
According to Express & Star, he was set to be rewarded with a new five-year contract amidst interest from the Premier League.
The club have since announced that Hal Robson-Kanu has signed a new contract, albeit until 2021, rather than the initial five years reported. With that in mind, is Bilic finally about to be doubted?
Here’s what Football FanCast’s writers think about the 30-year-old extending his stay at the Hawthorns…
Matt Dawson
“If you told me that Hal Robson-Kanu would earn a new deal after getting sent off towards the back end of last season when West Brom only had Rodriguez upfront after Dwight Gayle’s own suspension, I’d have laughed in your face. However, time moves on, and given the struggles in front of goal this term from Albion’s strikers, perhaps handing him a new deal is actually a sensible decision.
“They lack a senior centre-forward who can actually find the back of the net – Charlie Austin only has one and Kenneth Zohore has two – so that tells you some extra assistance is needed. Robson-Kanu only notched four times in 2018/19, but you sense that they require all the help and squad depth they can get.
“The Welshman has played in the Premier League before so wouldn’t be the worst player to have around the place if they do go up. In this instance, a short-term deal makes sense. After all, they have players like Jamie Soule rising through the ranks, and they’ve also just signed Cheikh Diaby – players who might be ready once his new deal ends.
“This may look like a confusing piece of news on the face of it, but at the end of the day, it’ll be a wise decision from Luke Dowling in the immediate future.”
Billy Meyers
“I just don’t see the point in this. Hal Robson-Kanu should never have been signed in the first place, and appeared to be somewhat of a panic signing after he enjoyed an impressive EURO 2016 tournament with Wales – he scored two goals in five games.
“With a terrible record of nine goals in 99 appearances (how has he even played that many games?) tying the 30-year-old down to a new contract wouldn’t be a smart idea. There is no resale value in the forward, nor is he an asset that the Baggies must protect – if any club did want him, West Brom should snap their hand off and send Robson-Kanu packing.
“Slaven Bilic is overseeing a good, youthful spell at the Hawthorns right now with the likes of Nathan Ferguson and Romaine Sawyers catching the eye, and signing a washed-up player to fresh terms would somewhat stain the exuberance in the squad right now. “
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James Beavis “West Bromwich Albion are absolutely right to offer Robson-Kanu a new short-term contract – after all, they have nothing to lose by giving the Wales international a 12-month extension.“He may have polarised the fan-base at times, but it isn’t often that you have an experienced left-footer in your ranks that is able to cover a range of attacking positions.“The nous and know-how he provides at this level and for his country is invaluable, and he is someone that could be hugely influential even when he isn’t on the pitch as the Baggies look to make their Premier League return this season.“In addition, the west Midlands side aren’t exactly blessed with a plethora of options in the attacking position, so there is no harm in keeping Robson-Kanu on for the time being.
“Forget about his record of nine goals in 99 appearances for Albion for one minute – the 30-year-old offers so much more than that.”
Lewis Blain
“To me, this move is somewhat perplexing. Robson-Kanu has done very little to warrant a new contract, and it is a decision that Bilic may well live to regret if they do achieve promotion this season.
“There’s no way that the 30-year-old is of Premier League quality if he can only score nine goals in 99 appearances in the blue and white stripes, especially when he’s played the bulk of his career at Championship level. Being the wrong side of 30 doesn’t help either.
“Bilic may well sign a striker in January, given links to Dwight Gayle, so the Welshman’s role could diminish further when the season enters 2020.
“He is better off dipping into their promising youth setup and giving one of them a shot if required. Jamie Soule has signed a three-year deal. You’d hope he makes the breakthrough sooner rather than later.”