Grading West Brom’s January business
West Brom were limited to just loan moves in January and they will hope that Ali Gabr, a centre-back brought in from Zamalek, can have the same impact that fellow Egyptian defender Ahmed Hegazi has had since his arrival in the summer.
Bringing in a striker of Daniel Sturridge’s calibre on loan allowed the Baggies to refrain from selling Jonny Evans to fund their striker search which was a major priority.
Keeping Evans is a huge positive for Albion. He’s been the best player at the club for a while and a relegation battle would have been much tougher without him.
Sturridge is a gamble. Not on his quality but on his fitness. The reason things didn’t work out for him at Anfield is because of his injuries and the worry is that Albion won’t be able to keep him on the pitch.
If they can keep him healthy, Sturridge will hopefully score the goals to move us away from the relegation zone.
Grade: B+