Tony Mowbray hasn’t been a rip-roaring success since returning to the West Bromwich Albion dug-out, but he will be loved all the same if he can steer the Baggies to promotion come the end of the gruelling Championship campaign.
The seasoned 61-year-old has overseen an unconvincing five victories in the league from 16 overall clashes, but a win away at his former employers on Good Friday in the form of playoff-aspiring Coventry City could see the West Midlands outfit break into the top six.
Mowbray will just want a little more from the experienced heads in his camp ahead of the pivotal promotion run-in, knowing full well that Grady Diangana could be playing his last games for the club before his contract runs out.
The latest on Diangana's future at West Brom
Diangana has been on the books of the Baggies for some time now, with the Congolese attacker making a name for himself in the English game as an often enigmatic attacker at the Hawthorns.
Indeed, from a bumper total of 199 games, the entertaining West Brom number 11 has managed to collect an impressive 26 goals and 21 assists.
Unfortunately, his importance to the cause isn’t quite what it used to be, with Diangana only averaging 43 minutes of action this season when handed a limited 13 starts in the league.
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Yet, the EFL veteran has still been able to tally up four goals and two assists for Mowbray’s men this campaign, with this header against Derby County coming just before Mowbray’s reappointment.
Leeds United are allegedly looking at the 5 foot 11 attacker as a savvy free-transfer pick-up, with a growing likelihood in the air at the Hawthorns that Diangana will leave when his current deal is ripped up.
With Mowbray back at the helm – who has a reputation for getting the very best out of youngsters – West Brom might decide they don’t need a flashy replacement if Diangana does depart.
Instead, this promising homegrown product could be finally thrust into the spotlight.
Diangana's "special" in-house replacement
Looking at the current first-team personnel, it’s clear that the next generation of talents coming through at the Baggies are worthy of senior minutes, with Tom Fellows one such academy product that is now tearing the second tier to shreds with 13 assists.
Reyes Cleary will aim to follow in Fellows’ esteemed footsteps when he returns from his current blistering loan stint with non-league Hartlepool United, therefore, having been lauded as a “special” talent by attacking Pools teammate Mani Dieseruvwe.
From 16 clashes and counting while strutting his stuff in the National League, the 21-year-old hotshot has managed to pick up a promising count of five strikes and a solitary assist, which included this sumptuous effort curling into the back of the net towards the start of April.
Capable of playing down either the left or right flank much like Diangana – on top of also being comfortable slotting in as an out-and-out centre-forward – it’s been a long time coming for Cleary to gain some meaningful first team recognition, with his past output in the U18 and U21 ranks at West Brom notably explosive.
24/25
U21s
1
2
0
23/24
U21s
2
0
0
22/23
U21s
12
16
3
21/22
U18s/U21s
32
28
3
20/21
U18s/U21s
17
8
2
19/20
U18s
1
0
0
Looking at the table above, Cleary has been a lethal goal machine in both youth brackets over many games now, meaning he could go on to rival his Congolese counterpart if given more senior opportunities shortly.
He has been gifted seven senior chances previously with zero goals or assists being notched up, but if the departure of Diangana does go through, expect a figure like the up-and-coming 21-year-old to finally break his senior duck and make a name for himself as a first-team performer.
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