"It’s fantastic news" - Carlton Palmer lauds £15m West Brom signing after mixed Hawthorns spell | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer was full of praise for the way Karlan Grant has started the season at West Brom

Former West Brom and England midfielder Carlton Palmer has praised West Brom's Karlan Grant after making an impressive start to the season upon his return to The Hawthorns.

Grant's career at West Brom looked to be all but over when he joined Championship rivals Cardiff City on loan last season, but similarly to Cedric Kipre last year, he's returned to the fold with the Baggies after returning from his loan in south Wales.

The 27-year-old has been a regular starter in Carlos Corberan's side as they've made an impressive start to the season, and he's scored twice in ten Championship appearances this season, a very respectable return.

There's no doubt that Grant can be a prolific goalscorer at this level, and in both the 2019/20 campaign for Huddersfield Town and 2021/22 season for West Brom he showed he could be one of the division's deadliest finishers.

West Brom forked out £15m for Grant in 2020, showing just how highly-rated he was, and he's showing just how much of an asset he can be for Corberan's side this season.

Carlton Palmer praises Karlan Grant after making West Brom return

Palmer, who began his senior career with the Baggies and went on to win 18 caps for England, told Football League World that he's been impressed with Grant, and that his proven quality at this level could be a huge boost to the club's promotion hopes.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said: "For whatever reason, Karlan Grant had lost his way at West Brom, which saw him go on loan to Cardiff City last season, where he did really well, playing 39 games in the Championship and scoring six goals.

"He’s returned to West Brom this season and already got two goals in ten games - he’s been in outstanding form.

“Previously he’s done really well in the Championship. At Huddersfied Town during the 2019/20 campaign, he scored 19 goals in 43 appearances and sometimes things just fall apart.

“He scored 18 goals in 44 Championship appearances during the 2021/22 season, so he’s got proven quality.

“The manager’s been able to talk to him and West Brom are seeing the fruits of it now. He’s had an outstanding start to the season, just like West Brom, and I really think it will be difficult for teams to gatecrash those automatic promotion spots with Sunderland, Burnley, Leeds, Sheffield United and I believe that Luton will come charging up the table at some point.

“West Brom are in 5th place on 18 points. Anything can happen, but if a player like Karlan Grant comes to the table as he is now, then it’s fantastic news for the club and the supporters.”

Of course, it's not Grant's fault that West Brom paid £15m for him after winning promotion to the Premier League in 2020, and while he's shown in glimpses what he's capable of, he hasn't lived up to the price tag.

He signed a six-year deal with the club in 2020, meaning he's still got another 18 months or so to justify the money spent on him, and if he could fire the Baggies to promotion this season, it would certainly go some way into justifying the fee they spent on him.

It's clear that Grant is an excellent player at Championship level who would improve most squads, and Corberan deserves huge credit for bringing him back into the fold this season after a year away.

His 18 goals during the 2021/22 season show that he can score goals at this level, and there may even be a tinge of regret that he was loaned out last season, as he could have been a good player to have around The Hawthorns.

Grant is thriving upon his return to West Brom, and if he could help them back into the top-flight, it would go some way to repaying the £15m transfer fee.