OPINION
West Bromwich Albion manager Darren Moore has made the most of what was a difficult situation last season and despite overseeing relegation has established himself as a talented first team coach at the Hawthorns.
Not only has he got his side playing some good football, he was also left in charge of the club’s recruitment over the summer window, with the removal of the club’s former technical director leaving a lot on his plate.
He navigated the transfer market impressively, signing the likes of Dwight Gayle and Harvey Barnes from Newcastle and Leicester respectively, the attacking duo making all the difference up top and quickly becoming firm favourites of the Hawthorns faithful, while getting rid of those who he deemed surplus to requirements in the hunt for an immediate return to the Premier League.
With two defeats so far, things look to be going as planned for the Baggies, but the supporters would have been really worried to have read the Birmingham Mail‘s report that Leicester manager Claude Puel was keeping a very close eye on loanee Barnes, with an eye on potentially recalling him as a result of a potential serious injury to Demarai Gray in midweek.
Losing the 20-year-old, who has appeared in every one of the club’s Championship matches so far and has been a game changer at times, would be a massive blow to their hopes of promotion, the youngster offering a creativity and flair few others can.
However, the updated report from the Birmingham Mail has revealed Gray looks to have avoided any major damage and that despite Puel’s interest in his young starlet, he looks set to stay and dazzle the Hawthorns for a couple more months yet.
Keeping him on board is a big boost to pushing for a top six finish and when a game is needing a bit of quality, Barnes has proven he can be that man.