BILIC ON THE BRINK IN HEGAZI FURORE
SLAVEN BILIC cast major doubt on his future at The Hawthorns after angrily hitting out at the sale of key defender Ahmed Hegazi.
Bilic said he was “disappointed” and insisted the club had broken promises that they would not sell the Egyptian – only to then let him join Saudi Arabian side Al- Ittihad in a £ 4m deal just 24 hours before their trip to Brighton.
West Brom manager Bilic said: “I’m very disappointed with the Hegazi departure because I was assured this week he was staying.
“He was meant to play today and he’s a top professional.
“I counted on him big time so to lose him on basically Sunday morning, when I first find it out, makes me really disappointed.
“Definitely it wasn’t my decision, it wasn’t a football decision.
“I’m very disappointed as we’re a team that needs all our good players.
“He is a player that has know- how in the Premier League and with vast experience.
“He’s an international, a great professional. He played versus Burnley and was training the whole week
“I had assurances he’d stay so that makes me very disappointed that he left.”
Bilic refused to answer a direct question as to whether he would consider his future before the Zoom video press conference was moved on to a question about reserve left- backs.
But Bilic did praise goal hero Karlan Grant who scored the late leveller after 83 minutes which was his first goal for the club. in just his second game.
Bilic said: “It’s very important for centreforwards to score.
“The way he smashed the ball in was brilliant for him and brilliant for us.
“I would say it was a fair result but I wanted
KAR CRASH: Karlan Grant hammers in West Brom’s equaliser and celebrates the game to go on for another 10 minutes.”
Brighton must feel disappointed they did not get their first home win of the season because they were much the better team in the first half, with Adam Lallana hugely influential.
Yet it took Jake Livermore’s own goal to give them a 40th- minute lead when Tariq Lamptey’s low cross caused chaos and Branislav Ivanovic smashed a clearance into Livermore and the ball rebounded into the net.
It really was all Brighton in the first half and yet they just do not seem able to press home their advantage.
The turning point was arguably Lallana going off after an hour as Brighton boss Graham Potter continues to manage his minutes.
But the home side then really missed his influence.
West Brom had the better of the closing stages but collecting just a point means they are still looking for their first win of the season.
Potter said: “We created some good chances in the first half and with a bit more luck we could have had a bigger lead than 1- 0.
“We have had some good performances this season.
“There is more to do, we have to improve but something to
learn from and build from.”
Johnstone 7; Furlong 6, Ivanovic 6, Ajayi 6, Townsend 7, Livermore 6 ( Robinson 63, 7); Pereira 7, Gallagher 7, Krovinovic 6; Diangana 6 ( Edwards 63, 6), Grant 7 ( Phillips 84). Gibbs, Bartley, Harper, Button.