West Brom midfielder John Swift is set to be ruled out for six weeks with a calf injury and his absence now grants huge responsibility on Grady Diangana to prove he has a future at the club.
The Baggies confirmed on Tuesday 10 October that Swift will be out of action for approximately six weeks after sustaining a calf strain in Friday’s 3-1 loss at Birmingham City (6 October).
The 28-year-old fired the Baggies in front at St Andrew’s but limped off in the 73rd minute as Albion suffered their first defeat in six games.
It’s also been confirmed that Swift will immediately begin a period of rehabilitation and is expected to return following the November international break.
The 28-year-old maestro has been immaculate so far this season, bagging six goals and one assist in eleven games, especially at a time when Corberan is short of options and a clinical edge in attack.
To lose Swift’s creativity, ingenuity and quality in the final third will certainly be like to lose an arm and a leg for West Brom and Corberan will be having both his fingers and arms crossed that his alternative attacking options will step up in his absence.
The Baggies have already lost Jeremy Sarmiento, Josh Maja and have Daryl Dike out long-term which leaves the likes of Matt Phillips, Jed Wallace and Brandon Thomas-Asante as Corberan’s attacking options right now but one man now under increasing pressure to deliver is Diangana.
West Brom signed the fleet-footed Frenchman from West Ham on a permanent basis in 2020 following a productive loan spell but throughout his three-year spell at the Baggies he’s flattered to deceive on several occasions, registering just 15 goals and 12 assists from 135 appearances at The Hawthorns [Transfermakt].
So far this season, he’s played a total of six games (three starts), registered just one assist, two big chances created, averaging 0.8 key passes, 1.5 shots and just 0.2 accurate crosses per game.
As an out-an-out winger, those stats don’t make for pleasing reading.
Given his burgeoning and unique attacking qualities, the West Brom faithful would certainly have been expecting more from the Frenchman but due to injuries and inconsistencies in his performances, his West Midlands career hasn’t bore the fruit his talents promised when he moved over from West Ham.
It’s no secret that the club are in financial peril right now and Diangana was long touted as one of the key stars in the squad that West Brom were open to a potential departure (Sunday People, 11 June, page 61). to accumulate some funds.
His contract is up in two years’ time [Transfermarkt] and so far in his West Brom career he hasn’t proven his case for an extension and more crucially, a key role under Corberan but now is his huge chance to showcase his qualities on a consistent basis with the Baggies now missing Swift’s creative weaponry.
Diangana is arguably the next best creative maestro in Corberan’s attack and it’s now up to him to finally fulfil his long-held calling as a future West Brom star.