West Bromwich Albion on Saturday extended their winless run under new head coach Eric Ramsey to seven games in all competitions.
The Baggies lost quite comfortably to Norwich in the FA Cup, losing 3-1 at Carrow Road and although they had hopes when Josh Maja’s goal made it 1-1 in the second half, there was nothing to complain about in the end.
Ramsey’s time in charge of the club so far may be best summed up by one moment in the second half. The team won a free-kick inside Norwich’s own half, and the manager called Charlie Taylor to tell him to come forward and put the ball into the box, but as the centre-backs started trotting forward, Alex Mowat, who could hear the manager, played the free-kick short to build up from the back.
At the moment, this doesn’t seem like a group of players who support the former MLS manager’s low-possession, set-piece-heavy style of play, which is reflected in their poor performance on the pitch.
But the Hawthorns’ problems go beyond Ramsay. One would hope Hindro Mustafa doesn’t end up like that after a difficult debut, as there have been too many underwhelming signings that haven’t worked out.
Why West Brom should be patient with Hindro Mustafa
The Crystal Palace loanee made his debut in Saturday’s cup game against the Canaries, playing alongside Josh Maja in the Baggies’ 4-4-2 set-up.
However, Mustafa struggled against Ruairi McConville and Harry Darling, losing 100% of his duels and completing just three passes before being replaced by Mowat at half-time.
WBA player ratings for Norwich | |
|---|---|
player | evaluation |
griffith | 5 |
Imlay | 4 |
white | 5 |
taylor | 4 |
gilchrist | 6.5 |
johnston | 4 |
Diamond kite | 6.5 |
whitwell | 5 |
bostock | 7 |
mustafa | 5 |
house | 7 |
The Eagles shouldn’t fire any of their young players just yet. In fact, this was his professional debut and his performance at academy level suggests he can achieve much more in the future.
Mustafa had 18 goals and 18 assists in 64 games for Palace’s Under-18s and Under-21s before being loaned to West Brom on deadline day, suggesting he has the potential to deliver quality performances in the final third.
It is therefore worth waiting patiently as the Sierra Leone international is still in the early stages of his senior career and could develop into an exciting player in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, there is another player signed by the Baggies during the January transfer window who looks to be the club’s biggest disappointment since Tamar Bunney.
The new Tamar Vanney situation for West Brom
West Brom paid £3.3m to sign Vanney from Danish side Landers in February last year and 12 months on, he has now played 51 minutes in five Championship games.
The Jordan international has been out since December with a thigh injury and played just one minute in the first 22 games of the season despite being eligible for selection.
The 22-year-old Bunny is currently barely on the pitch and looks like a huge failure, especially in terms of the money spent on his services.
Now, Danny Imlay, signed on loan from Palace in January, has already played more time for the club than the Danish-born striker, but looks like the club’s biggest failure since acquiring the forward from Landers.
The 22-year-old full-back is not in the same situation as Mustafa. Last season, he played 39 games in League Two, and this term he played 13 games on loan in League One. He is not a young, inexperienced player at all and should be given a lot of patience.
Unfortunately, he had a nightmare start to his loan spell at the Hawthorns and now looks to be the club’s most underwhelming signing since bringing in the Bunny.
First WBA contract since Bunny | |
|---|---|
rank | signature |
1 | Hegebo |
2 | campbell |
3 | white |
4 | gilchrist |
5 | shake junior |
6 | Mepham |
7 | phillips |
8 | o’leary |
9 | taylor |
10 | Friday – Arroba |
11 | mustafa |
12 | collier |
13 | Imlay |
The Manchester United youngster has shown positive signs in his limited playing time, completing 88% of his passes and winning 52% of his duels, so he ranks even lower than Toby Collier, whose loan was terminated due to injury.
However, Imlay lost 65% of his duels in three matches in the championship, completed 68% of the passes he attempted, and did not create a single chance for his teammates.
In the defeat against Norwich, the full-back created only one chance that could not be described as a ‘big chance’, lost the ball a whopping 16 times and was often let down by poor touch.
In addition to struggling physically and in possession, they were dribbled past by Norwich players three times, leaving something to be desired defensively. That’s why he’s even worse than Mustafa, who could be an exciting talent but just had a difficult first fight.
At the moment, Imlay appears to be below the standards needed to perform well against Championship opponents, physically, technically and defensively.
