Ismael: Bag a striker or it’s over
VALERIEN ISMAEL warned West Brom: Sign a goalscorer or forget about automatic promotion.
The Baggies chief has grown increasingly frustrated at the chances he has seen go begging in the first half of the campaign.
Former Wolfsburg coach Ismael is expected to sign Daryl Dike from Orlando in the next few days to solve his problem.
The forward found the net nine times for him at Barnsley last season and Ismael is clearly hoping for a similar return.
Asked whether a striker could make the difference between a place in the top two or having to settle for the play-offs, he said: “Yes, it’s as simple as that.
“If you look at the teams above us at the minute, it shows we have a lack of a goalscorer.
“Bournemouth have Dominic Solanke, there’s Aleksandar Mitrovic at Fulham and Ben Brereton Diaz at Blackburn.
“In the first half of the season, we have had possibilities, so many chances. But we haven’t taken them.
“Now it is time to do something in that area.”
Karlan Grant is the Baggies’ leading scorer, with nine to his name so far this term – fewer than half of any of the forwards Ismael noted.
And he is expecting to have new signings quickly once the window opens, issuing another veiled threat to those who will not follow his direct instructions.
Ismael added: “In a perfect world, it’s good if you can get the player as quickly as possible.
“The window is open. If you can get what you want in the first week, that’s the best thing.
“It’s not our intention to wait until the last few days.
“I know Dike from last season at Barnsley. We are working on our list. We have a clear picture and a list of priorities.
“Every player has had a chance. No player can turn around and say they haven’t had a chance to show their quality.
“They’ve had six months now.
I’ve got an overview on it all. But at some point you have to say, ‘Enough is enough’.
“It’s decision time. You have to see who is able to follow our ways and who can’t.
“We know what we have to do. Seven goals against us have come from our own clear mistakes.
“But we need too many chances to score. That’s our big issue.
“We always create and that’s not our problem. We need to concentrate on our finishing.”