West Bromwich Albion are closing in on the £8million signing of striker Kenneth Zohore from Championship rivals Cardiff City, according to the Daily Mirror.
The newspaper revealed the news on its news and transfer centre [18/07; 13:21], claiming that the 25-year-old is set to arrive in a deal that includes add ons.
New Baggies boss Slaven Bilic is desperately keen to secure some more firepower for his side, having seen strikers Jay Rodriguez move to Burnley and Dwight Gayle return to parent club Newcastle United.
Rotherham centre back Semi Ajayi is also thought to be close to a move to The Hawthorns, but the club are set to miss out on Sporting Lisbon winger Matheus Pereira.
TiF Tactics – Zohore provides goal threat Baggies have lost
It’s going to be nigh on impossible for West Brom to bring in quite the firepower that they lost when Rodriguez and Gayle departed. Simply put, they had the most lethal strike pairing in the division last season.
However, Zohore is very much proven at Championship level, and he compares very favourably to the two men who he would currently be competing with for a starting spot at West Brom, Hal Robson-Kanu and Kyle Edwards, although the latter is strictly speaking more of a winger.
As per WhoScored.com, when you look at Zohore’s last season in the Championship (2017/18), he beats both Baggies stars in goals scored and assists claimed in regards to what they did last term.
The Dane also had the most shots and key passes per game, while he was fouled the most as well. In addition, his WhoScored rating per game far exceeds either Robson-Kanu or Edwards’s.
So, while the Cardiff star doesn’t quite measure up to Rodriguez and Gayle in terms of their prolificness last season, he is a big upgrade on what West Brom currently have and a valuable addition, if they do indeed secure his signature.
What’s he done?
While he hasn’t quite cracked the senior Denmark national team, Zohore has scored an impressive eight goals in 20 games for their Under-21 side.
He is also a two-time league winner in his native country, while claiming promotion from the Championship with the Bluebirds the season before last.
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock appears to view Zohore as a talented, if frustrating frontman, though: “Ken’s training now and I’ve had a word with him and you know he’s got to get his finger out now, because he’s got all the attributes,” he said, as per Sky Sports. “When I look at all these other strikers – the ones we’re looking at – Ken’s got it all in his locker really, it’s such a shame.”