Attitude de Habib DIALLO 28 - Strasbourg - FOOTBALL : Angers vs Strasbourg - Ligue 1 - Angers - 16/12/2020 FedericoPestellini/Panoramic PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxITAxBEL
According to a report from Express & Star in October 2020, West Brom were said to be interested in Habib Diallo in the last summer window. The Baggies were said to be interested in bringing a striker with Diallo on their shortlist. They eventually signed Karlan Grant before the window closed.
Habib Diallo is a 25-year-old Senegalese forward who plays for French club Strasbourg. He started his career at Generation Foot but moved to Metz’s youth side in 2013. After two seasons, he was promoted to the first-team.
A season later, he was loaned out to Stade Brest 29 for one-and-a-half seasons. He played a total of 50 games for the side and contributed to 22 goals (16G + 6A). On his return, he was slotted into the Metz team. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Since then, he has had a very prolific spell for the club. In 115 appearances, he scored 48 goals and assisted 15 more (h/t Transfermarkt). He signed for Strasbourg at the start of this season and has kept up his good form with 5 goals and 3 assists in 15 games. Diallo has also played 6 times for the Senegal national team scoring once.
West Brom do need another out-and-out striker. Their forward department consists of Charlie Austin, Hal Robson-Kanu, Callum Robinson and Karlan Grant. Now, Austin and Robson-Kanu are both 31 years old. Grant has just scored once since his arrival with only Robinson finding the net on three occasions.
While new signings Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira impressed in the opening weeks, they too have tailed off of late. So, the Baggies need to get a long-term solution to their goalscoring woes, making Diallo a viable target. He has racked up over 150 games in France and is an experienced player. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Diallo is 6ft 1in tall and will aid the likes of wide players Pereira and Diangana. They can put crosses into Diallo to create goalscoring opportunities. At 25, Diallo is at a good age for West Brom to look into. He is entering his prime years and will likely get better in the coming seasons.
While Diallo may not look like an attractive signing on paper, he is an effective one. He has been prolific over the last couple of seasons for Metz and helped them gain promotion to Ligue 1. Diallo is a feasible solution for West Brom’s striker problems. While it might be hard to persuade the player to change clubs again so soon, West Brom need to renew their interest and make another attempt to land him.