West Brom: Carlos Corberan should ditch Karlan Grant experiment and capitalise on Sunderland miss | OneFootball

Carlos Corberan should move Karlan Grant back to the left wing and look to a Sunderland summer transfer target to play alongside Josh Maja.

As West Bromwich Albion's unbelievable run of draws goes on, the winter window will be vital in securing a difference maker to bring the Baggies back into the play-off places, and they may look to the missed opportunity of a promotion rival.

Although West Brom's performances during this startling run of 10 draws in their previous 11 matches have recently been better than results suggest, the majority of Albion fans are united that the Baggies currently lack the bite to battle back into play-off places.

After being the early pacesetters of the Championship, Carlos Corberan's side now find themselves in eighth position and nine points away from the automatic places, but even more concerningly, with the lowest goals scored in the top 10 of the league with 21 (Flashscore).

The league's high-flyer, Josh Maja, who is accountable for 10 out of the 21 Baggies have netted this term, has also seen a drought in return, with only three goals in his previous 12 appearances, a problem Corberan looked to Karlan Grant to rectify, playing the former Terrier alongside the Super Eagle.

But this has sadly been to no avail, not at the fault of Grant, with the winger being one of the standout performers for Albion this campaign, but due to the compromise, this has left defensively, forcing Maja to drop deeper.

West Brom switch v Sheffield United causes problems

On Sunday against Sheffield United, despite sustaining the lion's share of possession, West Brom's lack of bite in front of goal was once again their undoing as they failed to snatch three points away from the league leaders and close the gap on the play-off places.

However, what can be taken away from the clash was how the overload on the left wing of the pitch nullified both Grant and Johnston from being able to establish as much of a footing in proceedings as Tom Fellows was able to.

47% of West Brom attacks were spawned from the right-wing area versus only 31% emerging from the left, primarily due to Grant's inclination to drift to the left side, dragging defenders with him (WhoScored).

This action not only nullified Johnston from having as much impact on the game, but Grant's defensive contribution was also missed, with neither of the other wingers unable to provide the culpability Grant can.

As seen from the table above, neither of Albion's other favoured wingers come close to matching the defensive effort of Grant, a factor that leaves the defence exposed from the flanks.

But as Maja continues to thrive as Baggies' best in the build-up, a natural goalscorer comfortable occupying centrally to continue laying balls off to West Brom's fast forwards should be the January prerogative, and one that could see a change of fortunes in the second half of the campaign.

Sunderland's Alexandre Mendy transfer miss

Alexandre Mendy of Ligue 2 outfit Caen seemed all but set to head to Wearside in the summer of 2024, notably revealing to SportaCaenfr: "We live in boxes. My head is in Sunderland. The best solution for everyone is for me to go to Sunderland".

The feeling appeared to be mutual with former Lorient manager, Regis Le Bris, positioned and poised to sign the 30-year-old as Sunderland saw a bid of under £1m rejected by Caen.

However, after testing the resolve of the second-division French side, Le Bris grew tired of their resistance and gave up on the signing, leaving Mendy frustrated about staying in France. He has since voiced his desire to play in England.

After having his heart set on a move to England, West Bromwich Albion could be next to test Caen's resolve of the flying forward, as Corberan looks for a solution to a difficult spell.

Mendy could hold the key to Corberan's conundrum

Immediately analysing the goal return of the Guinea international, Mendy has demonstrated an incremental goal return as he reaches his formative seasons, something that could be key in reducing the dependability on Josh Maja as a source for goals without completely changing Grant's role.

Within this near five-season spell with Caen, Mendy has also only missed one game due to injury during this period, a key factor to consider as West Brom desire not to be plagued with another long-term absentee like Daryl Dike.

Playing in front of Maja, Mendy also possesses all the assets to form a scintillating striking partnership with the Super Eagle, not only ranking in the top 15.5% in Ligue 2 for touches in the opposition box but also registering the most shots in the league (Fotmob).

This trigger-happy goalscorer offers an aggressive confidence to shoot the Baggies currently lack, and with his habitual instinct to find space in the opposition box, this would make Maja's strength passing beyond the opposition defence even more deadly.

Registering 17 more aerial duels won than Maja, Mendy could also offer the Baggies an aerial dimension to put away the dangerous crosses of Tom Fellows and Karlan Grant, something Corberan's side have been unable to exploit thus far.

As Corberan looks to reaffirm his side as one of the division's most deadly and dangerous, a natural goalscorer could be just what is needed to make West Brom one of the ones to watch in the second half of the season.