Habib Diallo helped Metz get promoted to the French top flight (Getty Images)
According to The Sun (h/t Birmingham Mail), West Brom are said to be in talks with FC Metz over the prospect of signing Habib Diallo. Baggies manager Slaven Bilic is keen to add another forward before the close of the transfer window.
Habib Diallo is a 25-year-old Senegalese forward who plays for French club Metz. 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.
Since then, he has had a very prolific spell for the club. In 115 appearances, he scored 48 goals and assisted 15 more (source – Transfermarkt). Diallo has also played 4 times for the Senegal national team scoring once.
West Brom do need an out-and-out striker. Their forward department consists of Charlie Austin, Hal Robson-Kanu and Kenneth Zohore. Now, Austin and Robson-Kanu are 31 years old. Kenneth Zohore is out for an unknown period of time.
While new signings Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira have impressed in the opening weeks, they need to get a long-term solution to their striker problem. Diallo has racked up over 150 games in France and is an experienced player.
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 very 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. With time running out and just days left in the transfer window, the Baggies should try to wrap up a deal for Diallo soon.
