West Brom could replace BTA by playing “unbelievable” star in a different role

West Bromwich Albion pulled off a 1-1 draw last match versus Stoke City courtesy of a powerful finish from Brandon Thomas Asante in the first 45 minutes, the 24-year-old striker’s goal cancelling out Lynden Gooch’s freak opener.

The ex-Sunderland midfielder saw his attempted cross somehow loop over Alex Palmer’s head to give the Potters a fortuitous lead, the away side far happier with the final outcome than the Baggies – Carlos Corberan’s men registering 16 shots on goal to Stoke’s nine, a wasteful afternoon for the hosts.

Corberan will be left in limbo over whether Thomas-Asante will be available soon after this standout performance, however, owing to a recent development, throwing another spanner into the works in the West Midlands after Baggies striker Josh Maja was ruled out with a long-term injury.

Brandon Thomas-Asante’s season in numbers

Thomas-Asante’s form this season up top for West Brom has been rewarded with a surprise inclusion in Ghana’s 55-man provisional list for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations – as per football journalist Owuraku Ampofo – which could see the former Salford City attacker miss a whole month potentially of Championship action if he makes the final cut.

The 25-year-old departing for AFCON would be a huge loss for the Baggies, Thomas-Asante scoring seven times in all competitions so far this season as the main threat up top.

Losing the striker would leave Corberan with a big selection dilemma on his hands, with Daryl Dike also sidelined with a lengthy injury concern on top of Maja also being out of action.

Corberan could have to call upon Jed Wallace to start as a makeshift lone striker if needs be – depending on transfer activity into the building – as a short-term measure that the Spanish boss will hope works to help the promotion hopefuls notch up more wins.

Jed Wallace’s season in numbers

It wouldn’t be the first time that Wallace has been played away from a more familiar role down the flanks this season, the ex-Millwall man has started six games as a centre-forward this campaign for the Baggies and has excelled when played there.

The West Brom captain has a goal and two assists playing in this central role, scoring with his only shot on target – as per Sofascore -versus Hull City as a clinical attacker in a convincing 3-1 victory.

It could be argued however that Wallace is wasted played as a striker, Corberan playing West Brom’s number seven down the channels this campaign has got the best out of the experienced midfielder’s creativity – Wallace tallying up three assists for the season, matching his goalscoring output.

Wallace’s skillset allows him to cut teams open with his passing range and dangerous deliveries in matches which even saw Sheffield United defender Jack O’Connell label Wallace’s ability on the ball as “unbelievable” last season when speaking on Sky Sports, this side of the 29-year-old’s game potentially hindered by playing him just as an out-and-out goalscorer.

Yet, Corberan does have other individuals at his disposal such as Grady Diangana and Jeremy Sarmiento to call upon to fill in down the wings to be the creative sparks – the latter singled out by his manager for praise recently when it comes to his ‘passion’ on the pitch, on top of his daringness to take players on and be an entertainer for the Baggies masses to watch intently.

Therefore, as a short-term fix for Thomas-Asante being potentially missing, the West Midlanders could look to Wallace as a cost-effective alternative up top to spending big with the 29-year-old very rarely below-par when pulling on a West Brom strip.