26th July 2005: The arrival of
Diomansy Kamara at the Hawthorns will certainly add some much needed
flexibility to the Albion attacking options, but whether he is the
proven goalscorer that we are looking for is another matter.
The Senegalese international spent last season on loan at Portsmouth
from Italian club Modena, and had what is best described as a mixed
season. A knee injury kept him out for a couple of months before Christmas,
but he did manage fifteen starts in the Premiership, ten as substitute
and a further four starts in the cup competitions. His goalscoring
record was less than impressive with just six goals, but then again
only Robert Earnshaw and Zoltan Gera could match that for the Baggies
last season.
Eleven goals in two seasons for Modena hardly puts him in the "prolific"
category, but it is his versatility that has attracted the attentions
of Robson. He can play on either flank or through the centre which
certainly makes him a valuable addition to the squad, and a price
tag of £1.5 million seems like good business. Obviously Alain Perrin
didn't see what Harry Redknapp did last summer when he signed Kamara
for a club record £2.5 million. Perrin was happy to exercise a clause
that meant that the balance, the £1.5 million that Albion have paid,
would not be due should the player leave within two years. However,
Redknapp obviously still holds Kamara in high regard as Southampton
too had an offer accepted, but the Paris-born forward opted to stay
in the Premiership.
I definitely see this as a positive signing, but I'm not convinced
that it should end the search for a goalscorer. Kamara will add to
the attacking options, but I don't see him as an answer to Albion's
goalscoring problems.
In fact, it could almost be viewed that Kamara is more of a replacement
for Kieran Richardson. Robson may not have given up on the young England
star, but Kamara could go some way to plugging the creativity gap
that Richardson absence has left in the Albion midfield. We all still
hold out hope that Sir Alex will convince him that the regular first
team spot he needs will not be forthcoming at Old Trafford, but Robson
may have one eye on a midfield berth for Kamara.
So we have the versatile defender and the versatile attacker, but
I still believe we need a specialist in both areas. The search for
a replacement for Darren Purse must be seen as a priority. The only
name in the frame so far is Polish centre back, Jaroslaw Bieniuk.
He was on trial at the Hawthorns and Robson continues to keep an eye
on him as the Polish season kicks off. There is obviously additional
cover with Steve Watson joining, but another younger prospect would
seem a sensible option.
At the other end of the field, I'd still like to see the club pursue
their interest in either Maksim Shatskikh or Hannes Sigurdsson who
both seem to have excellent goalscoring records, albeit in lower quality
leagues. Shatskikh replaced Andrei Shevchenko at Dynamo Kiev and has
an equally impressive goalscoring record, whereas Icelandic international
Sigurdsson (haven't we heard that somewhere before) has hit 13 goals
in 24 games for Viking Stavanger in the Norwegian league so far. With
money still available for Robson, I think that another striker could
be on his way to West Bromwich.
|
