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| Cresswell |
A report in the Mirror is linking Ipswich Town’s
Aaron Cresswell with a January move to West Bromwich Albion. The left-back has
been one of the Championship’s top performers this season, having assisted eight
goals, more than any other player. Cresswell, who turns twenty-four before
January, will reportedly cost the Birmingham-based club a £3 million fee.
The Tranmere academy
graduate is reaching the peak of his career, and this is perhaps the right
time for him to move to a Premier League club. Although Ipswich will look
build on their run of three straight wins to enhance their play-off push in the
Championship, they face a difficult period with just one home game between now
and the January transfer window. Cresswell may be inclined to abort his career
with the Tractor Boys, in favour of a bigger wage and top flight football at
the Hawthorns.
West Brom are in need of a
left-back. Goran Popov has failed to impress since joining on loan from
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| Popov |
Dynamo
Kiev, having been at fault for a lot of the goals the Baggies have conceded
this season, he is likely to leave in the summer. Liam Ridgewell on the other
hand, is perhaps more of a utility man, and poses little attacking threat.
There is a space in the West Brom squad for a left-back.
So would a £3 million punt on the
talented Cresswell be a good choice for manager Steve Clarke? It is rare for a
club to spend much on a full-back. Recently, the established top flight sides have
tended to pick up older, foreign fullbacks on the cheap. Sasha Riether went for
£1 million and Razvan Rat a free transfer to Fulham and West Ham respectively,
allowing more money to be spent on attacking players.
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| Olsson |
In context, £3 million would be a
lot for a fullback who is unproven at Premier League level. However, a slight
gamble now could pay dividends for West Brom in a few years’ time. If Cresswell
is given regular football in the Premier League, he is likely to improve as a
player and his value will rise, and this could attract a much higher bid from
another club in future. Alternatively, West Brom may instead decide to bring in
an old, safe and cheap option for full-back. Doing this, they might benefit
from the player’s experience in the short-term, but be forced to let him go for
nothing in the near future.
Tactically, bringing in Cresswell
would make sense for the Baggies. He is Ipswich’s current set piece specialist,
and set pieces is an area in which West Brom have not necessarily thrived this
season. They have scored four goals as a result of free-kicks and corners, which
is not the best return, considering the height of centre-backs Jonas Olsson and
Gareth McAuley. Cresswell’s quality of delivery could prove useful. He is also
a very attack-minded player, and because West Brom currently play with two
defensive midfielders, fullbacks can be afforded more licence to attack.
However, current fullbacks Jones and Ridgewell lack technical ability. Cresswell
does not and would provide West Brom with more
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| Jeremy Peace |
width going forward.
Chairman Jeremy Peace might be
tempted to wait for Goran Popov’s loan expiry this summer to fund a move.
However, by playing the waiting game, there is a risk that West Brom will be
leaving it too long. If Cresswell continues his current form, his value will
continue to soar. Furthermore, he has already had reported interest from Aston
Villa, and Everton, who could find themselves looking for a replacement for
Leighton Baines next summer. When you see big talent, you need to act quickly,
and that is the case now for West Brom.
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