West Bromwich Albion now find themselves just out of the playoff positions in the Championship after having to settle for another draw in the league versus Preston North End.
That was remarkably the Baggies’ tenth draw of the campaign already, with this lack of an appetite for wins hurting Carlos Corberan’s men at the moment, who fell to seventh spot after the unsatisfactory result at Deepdale.
The Spanish boss will want to see a reaction from this disappointing game when league leaders Sheffield United come to town next, having been let down by a number of experienced heads against Paul Heckingbottom’s Lilywhites.
West Brom underperformers vs Preston
Corberan will just feel his stuttering camp aren’t playing to its maximum at the moment, with Alex Mowatt one player who was out-of-sorts against Preston compared to his usual creative self.
The 29-year-old midfielder did manage to tally up an impressive 50 accurate passes from his 60 touches of the ball, but for all the passes that he sprayed about the turf competently, there was a lack of attacking intent from the ex-Leeds United man who also registered no key passes or shots on goal.
Moreover, the likes of Josh Maja – who had ten goals in the Championship coming into this away clash – failed to spark into life on the road, with zero shots amassed from the usually potent former Sunderland striker.
Not even centre-back colossus Kyle Bartley remaining in the starting XI after injury could stop Emil Riis Jacobson from levelling proceedings at Deepdale, as the Scandinavian forward managed to fiercely lash an effort past Alex Palmer early into the second half.
Whilst Corberan will know the likes of Maja and Bartley can help West Brom escape this sticky patch of form, his patience will be wearing thin when it comes to Jed Wallace, who might well soon be staring the exit door in the face.
Jed Wallace's season at West Brom
It’s fair to say Wallace has tumbled down the pecking order at the Hawthorns this season, with only two starts coming the way of the former Millwall man in the league and a meagre 21 minutes averaged when thrown into action.
Contrast that with last campaign – where Wallace started 35 games across the regular 46-game schedule – and it’s clear that Corberan is preferring other fresher options like Tom Fellows down the right wing over the waning 30-year-old.
Therefore, conversations will soon need to be had over the ageing midfielder’s future in the West Midlands, especially when you take a further glance at his hefty salary.
Wallace is the joint third highest earner in Corberan’s camp at the moment – according to Capology – with the Baggies number seven on the same wage as first-team regular Darnell Furlong at £25k-per-week, even with the right-back being an everpresent in the league for the Spaniard.
1. Mason Holgate
£75k-per-week
7
2. Daryl Dike
£32.3k-per-week
0
3. Darnell Furlong
£25k-per-week
17
4. Jed Wallace
£25k-per-week
2
5. Paddy McNair
£25k-per-week
2
It’s clear looking at the table above that Wallace isn’t the only face at West Brom currently who is earning an extortionate wage, with Daryl Dike failing to play a single game through injury this campaign to date but earns £32.3k-per-week.
But, the example of Wallace will hurt the Baggies masses, with his purchase in the summer of 2022 heralded as a fantastic bit of business by then manager Steve Bruce, who labelled the free transfer as a “massive asset.”
“Jed will be a massive asset to our team, and I’m absolutely delighted to get him through the door. He is somebody who I’ve admired for a long time and have tried to sign before. He’s got pace, power, penetration in the final third and, above all, is a top pro.”
He would deliver the goods time after time during his debut campaign, with six goals and eight assists tallied up, but it’s obvious that he’s not at the peak of his powers anymore donning a West Brom strip.
Wallace could soon be moved on, therefore, as Corberan attempts to reinvigorate his frustrated side ahead of a frantic December, which might be crucial in deciding whether they will be competing up the top end of the table for the remainder of the season to come.
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