Exclusive: Lee Hendrie urges West Brom to sign 46-goal striker | OneFootball

Pundit Lee Hendrie has backed Albion to complete a summer move for Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland.

Pundit Lee Hendrie believes West Brom will benefit from signing out-of-contract forward Lawrence Shankland this summer, with the Scotsman able to bring goals to The Hawthorns from his time at Hearts.

The Baggies will be beginning preparations for the transfer window now they’ve appointed Ryan Mason as their head coach, as the former Tottenham and Hull City midfielder gets his first full-time managerial role under way.

One of Albion’s first signings in the Mason era could be the prolific Scottish goalscorer Shankland, with it appearing the 29-year-old is ready for a new challenge in England after being linked to the Baggies and Southampton, as per a report in the Scottish Sun.

As West Brom’s summer transfer window activity could soon be underway, pundit Lee Hendrie has weighed in with his thoughts over West Brom’s latest links to the Hearts frontman.

Lee Hendrie backs Lawrence Shankland to add an extra source of goals at West Brom

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, pundit Lee Hendrie believes Lawrence Shankland can transition his goalscoring exploits from the Scottish Premiership into the Championship, with West Brom requiring regular goals at the top end of the pitch to push for promotion.

Hendrie said: “I think the Baggies are in a situation where they aren’t able to spend a lot of money to bring players into the football club, which is why they’ve been standing still for quite some time.

“He’s (Shankland) been key and instrumental at Hearts, scoring lots of goals. Some might say the step-up to the Championship is very similar in comparison to the Scottish league.

“They have to bring in a fresh identity, which is an area they’ve struggled with in the centre-forward role. They haven’t been able to bring someone in who can score goals consistently.

“He is someone who can play as an attacking midfielder and through the middle, so he’d probably be a really good signing for West Brom, not that I’ve seen a lot of him, but goals speak volumes and that’s what West Brom need.”

Lawrence Shankland option will be vital due to Josh Maja, Daryl Dike fitness concerns

While the Baggies do possess two strong forward options in Josh Maja and Daryl Dike, they are yet to prove their fitness levels are reliable enough to be called upon for an entire season.

Meanwhile, the Black Country outfit have lost Will Lankshear and Adam Armstrong from their loan spells, and Devante Cole is sure to be a priority sell this summer after failing to secure one league start this term.

This means Albion will be in desperate need of depth with a third striker option, and Shankland’s goalscoring exploits while at Hearts bring optimism.

Shankland has recorded two 21-goal tallies in three campaigns at Tynecastle Park, and is set to be a bargain buy for an EFL club after failing to agree a deal under new boss Derek McInnes.

Despite having an underwhelming last term in Scotland, the 29-year-old has shown previously that he knows where the back of the net is on a regular basis, and he could well thrive in a Ryan Mason system that will look to be front-footed and entertaining at The Hawthorns.

Albion will need a regular source of goals to compete towards the upper ends of the Championship table, and the addition of the Scottish frontman could be a masterstroke if he can transition his clinical nature into the Championship.