Karlan Grant, a striker from Huddersfield, has officially signed a six-year contract with West Brom.
The two teams’ agreement on a fee of approximately £15 million marked the end of negotiations that had lasted for more than a month, according to a report from Sky Sports News on Saturday.
After being promoted back to the Premier League, the 23-year-old becomes West Brom’s ninth acquisition of the summer transfer window.
Head of football operations at Huddersfield Town, Leigh Bromby, provided an explanation for the protracted negotiations, saying, “Karlan has grown to become a highly sought-after player during his time at Huddersfield Town.
“He expressed to us that he envisioned his future at West Brom when they made their offer, and he has a desire to compete in the Premier League.”
This has taken longer than expected because “we had to be patient in the current climate and market to ensure we obtained the best possible deal for Huddersfield Town.”
Luke Dowling, the technical and sporting director of West Brom, stated: “We have been tracking Karlan’s growth for a considerable amount of time, and we had him on our radar even before the summer transfer market opened.”
With Jed Wallace starting up top against Hull City in the previous round of the second division, Carlos Corberan’s West Bromwich Albion will enter the upcoming round of Championship fixtures severely lacking strikers.
The Spanish manager in the Baggies dugout is faced with an unfavourable position as Josh Maja, Daryl Dike, and Brandon Thomas-Asante are currently in the treatment room due to the center-forwards’ ever-growing injury list at the Hawthorns.
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It is unlikely that this loaned-out attacker, whose future at West Brom is currently uncertain at £15 million, would provide much offensive punch to the West Midlands striker ranks even if he were called back.Karlan Grant, fresh from a successful season-long stint at the John Smith’s Stadium, would leave Huddersfield Town and sign with West Brom.With Grant finding the back of the net 19 times during his final full season with the Terriers, the Baggies must have felt they had struck gold in luring such a formidable player.It hasn’t been an easy transition for the former Huddersfield player, though, as the £15 million transfer fee above his head suddenly seems quite outrageous.When Grant arrived at the Hawthorns, he was thrown in deep by then-Baggies manager Slaven Bilic, who had brought him in to help West Brom avoid Premier League relegation with a few clutch strikes.The now 26-year-old did not score in his team’s miserable 2018–19 Premier League season, but he recovered the next season in the lower division, scoring 18 goals in 45 games to justify his high price.
Having only managed five goals in 35 games the previous season, Grant was relegated to the bench in Corberan’s starting lineup and sent on loan to Cardiff City in an attempt to establish himself.
It’s not surprising to learn that Grant’s transfer value has significantly decreased given his continued struggles with the Bluebirds this season after leaving the Baggies.
