"Unfortunately" - Claim made on Karlan Grant at West Brom who is Baggies' "biggest surprise" | OneFootball

Karlan Grant started the season excellently, however he has trailed off in the last couple of months.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

West Bromwich Albion's form has gone through peaks and troughs over the course of the 2024/25 season, and they have found it difficult to maintain the levels needed to keep them safely in the play-off places on multiple occasions.

However, an excellent 1-1 draw away to league leaders, Leeds United, on Saturday ensured that they kept their place in the top six, although they did drop one position from fifth as Coventry City continued their rise up the Championship table.

Tony Mowbray has done well to steady the ship after Carlos Corberan's departure at the end of December, and while supporters will have wished to have seen more consistency, they have a very credible claim of finishing in the play-offs.

But, West Brom need more from some of their senior figures in the final weeks of the campaign so that they do not allow any of their rivals an advantage in the battle for the top six, with one hero from the start of the season desperately needing a return to goalscoring form.

Karlan Grant named in surprise player debate

The Baggies are now on a three-game unbeaten run in the Championship, but they did draw two of those and they have to find themselves coming out on top in more matches than they have done under Mowbray.

He has won just three of his eight games in charge, but some of the players that had performed well earlier this season under Corberan have to show more in the final couple of months of the campaign.

Football League World has asked their West Brom Fan Pundit, Callum Burgess, which player has surprised him the most in 2024/25, either positively or negatively.

He told FLW: "The biggest surprise this season will probably have to be Karlan Grant.

"Ahead of the summer, he had just spent last season out on loan at Cardiff, and after Carlos Corberan had first taken over, he quickly fell out of favour. So, when we were coming into the start of the season, many would have expected him to move elsewhere.

"In pre-season he got his head down and made a strong impression on him and earned a place in the starting XI. He really did repay that faith during Corberan’s time here. He was probably one of our best players in the first period of the season.

"He was putting up decent numbers as well, but I think something we've learned about Grant is that he's a confident player and, since Tony Mowbray took over, he has taken him out of the team. Since then, unfortunately, his form has taken a dip."

Callum continued: "He’s yet to register a goal or an assist in Mowbray's time here and that’s unfortunate because during the first period of the season he was looking really sharp.

"For example, against Sheffield United away from home, he scored a great goal. It was a great finish from outside the box and then his strike against Oxford as well is the type of thing that Grant has in his locker when he's feeling confident, and he's got his mojo.

"But unfortunately, we've not seen that side of him for a few weeks now and hopefully he's able to rediscover that form."

Grant has lost his place in the starting XI in recent weeks

After such an incredible start to the season, many hoped that Grant was getting back to the form that he had shown during the 2021/22 campaign. However, as the year has progressed, he has found it difficult to maintain a level of consistency.

He has been in the starting XI just once in West Brom's last seven league games, and he needs to show more threat in the final third if he is going to regain that place soon.

The 27-year-old has not scored since 29 December, and with the fight for the two final play-off places so tight, Mowbray needs players who are in form to step up to the plate and start games meaning that those who are not will have to miss out.

Nevertheless, Grant has the quality to make his way back into his manager's immediate plans but he has to show him why the left wing position should be his quickly, otherwise the summer could be a difficult one for him.