OPINION
West Brom may well have made contact with the agent of Peterborough goal machine Jack Marriott after chairman Darragh MacAnthony dropped a big hint that Darren Moore has made him his No 1 target for the summer transfer window.
Marriott, 23, was in lethal form for Peterborough last season, scoring a stunning 33 goals in 56 appearances across all competitions.
Unsurprisingly, the striker’s prowess in front of goal has led to huge speculation about his future with Derby confirmed to have tabled three bids for the £6million-rated man (Peterborough Telegraph) already.
However it also appears that West Brom may well be in the hunt for Marriott too, as MacAnthony has described what sounds to be the Baggies in a revealing interview on Peterborough’s official YouTube channel.
The London Road chief confirms that a manager of a team been relegated from the Premier League has been in touch with Marriott’s agent as recent as this week and has prioritised his signing.
“There are other clubs who desperately want him (Marriott), but are trying to shift players on a one in, one out policy,” MacAnthony said.
“There’s a recently relegated club from the Premier League who their manager was on to Jack’s agent yesterday and he is his number one target. But until one goes, and one comes in, that’s the way it is.
“So that will probably play and play and play for a little while longer.”
West Brom certainly appear to be operating on this ‘one in, out out’ policy this summer with their three signings so far coming in to replace players who have left and while Swansea could also fit this description, Stoke definitely do not.
Goalkeepers Sam Johnstone and Jonathan Bond have been snapped up in the wake of exits for Ben Foster and Boaz Myhill, while Kyle Bartley was seemingly come in as a replacement for Jonny Evans, who is now at Leicester.
Albion are yet to sign any midfielders or centre-forwards, mainly because they are yet to accept any bids for the likes of Salomon Rondon, Jay Rodriguez or Nacer Chadli, all of which have been linked with leaving The Hawthorns this summer.
James McClean is edging towards a move to Stoke, with the Express & Star reporting that a replacement winger is being lined up for the Ireland international.
It seems that West Brom may well have made Marriott their top target, but as it stands, there will probably not be a concrete approach for him until one of Rondon or Rodriguez are offloaded.
But for now, it’s nice to see that the Baggies are in the hunt for a striker who has shown he is more than capable at finding the back of the net on a regular basis.