Raul de Tomas joined Espanyol in the last winter transfer (Getty Images)
According to recent Twitter claims from BBC journalist Guillem Balague, West Brom were among the Premier League clubs to have registered an interest in Espanyol striker Raul de Tomas before the international summer deadline.
However, the Baggies were forced to drop their interest in the former Real Madrid ace after Espanyol slapped a mammoth €25million price tag on the 25-year-old.
Born in Spain to a Dominican mother, Raul de Tomas rose through the youth ranks of Real Madrid and featured extensively for the Los Blancos’ B and C teams in the lower divisions. He made just one first-team appearance for Madrid but established himself as a prolific goalscorer during loan spells at Cordoba and Real Valladolid in the second-tier.
De Tomas propelled Rayo Vallecano to a promotion-winning campaign in the Segunda Division with a career-best tally of 24 goals in 2017-18. He followed it up with a 14-goal haul for Vallecano in La Liga before completing a move to Benfica in the summer of 2019.
However, the 25-year-old returned to his homeland with Espanyol in January 2020 after spending just six months in Portugal. De Tomas bagged 4 goals in 14 La Liga outings towards the back end of last season as the Catalan outfit suffered relegation.
Truth be told, West Brom’s problems in front of goal run deep. Charlie Austin hasn’t been considered for a role in the Premier League this season so far, which is understandable given his influence has waned over the years. Hal Robson-Kanu has never really been a great performer in the top-flight while Kenneth Zohore doesn’t seem to have a future either.
A lack of quality strikers has forced Slaven Bilic to rely on Callum Robinson as his first-choice No.9. The former Sheffield United star scored twice in the 3-3 draw against Chelsea but has been totally non-existent in the other games.
The Baggies were unable to get deals over the line for any of their rumoured striker targets before the international deadline. Bringing in a new striker has been top of the club’s agenda for quite a while now, as evident from links with Watford’s Troy Deeney and Huddersfield Town’s Karlan Grant.
Grant has long been touted as West Brom’s No.1 target and talks remain ongoing with Huddersfield over a potential deal for the striker before the domestic deadline on October 16. However, the Midlands outfit would probably still need to sign another striker in January even if they manage to complete a move for Grant.
Depending on how things shape up over the next couple of months, it would make sense for West Brom to reignite their interest in Raul de Tomas when the transfer window reopens in January. The 25-year-old boasts a decent track record of goals in Spain, both in the second-tier as well as in the La Liga, so he would definitely add more quality to the Baggies’ attack.
As we have seen over the years, lack of goals has often led to the undoing of the promoted sides in the Premier League. West Brom need to ensure that they have enough quality and firepower in front of goal to survive in the top-flight and a potential deal for Raul de Tomas would be a step in the right direction.
The 25-year-old still has his best years ahead of him and the Baggies will be hoping that Espanyol end up slashing their asking price for the Spaniard in January.