Tony Mowbray should make controversial West Brom call with £12m man | OneFootball

With the contract coming to a close on West Brom's £12m winger, Tony Mowbray should make the controversial call not to renew his deal.

As the contract clock ticks down on West Brom's Grady Diangana, Tony Mowbray will soon have to decide whether this 26-year-old has done enough to earn an extended stay at the Black Country outlet, or whether now is the right time for both parties to part ways.

The season of 2019/20 was by far one of the most enjoyable within the recent history of West Brom.

The Black Country side shared a similar promotion prayer to that of today and sought to battle their way out of the second-tier, something that would not have been anywhere near as smooth or achievable without one temporary acquisition.

Albion announced the deadline day summer signing of Grady Diangana for £12m who had signed his first professional contract whilst Baggies' boss Slaven Bilic was the man at the helm of the Hammers, but it took mere minutes for the winger to capture the attention of every Albion fan on his advent to Championship action.

On the second match of the season, the Baggies trailed 1-0 at Kenilworth Road at the halfway mark, but Bilic quick to adjust the Albion set-up, substituted the West Ham man on in the hope he'd turn their tides around. It took just six minutes for him to do exactly that as Diangana punished the Hatters' defensive errors with two fine finishes that saw the Albion snatch a 2-1 victory away from home.

Diangana proved to be a diamond of an addition to the Albion attack and despite missing 13 matches through injury, the winger produced eight goals and six assists in 30 matches, a contribution that proved key as West Brom secured their return to the top-flight.

After such a successful temporary spell, the permanent recruitment of the West Ham winger was high on Baggies' summer wish list on their return to the Premier League, with many hoping the forward's flair and creativity would prove key in ensuring Baggies' survival.

Baggies were bouncing at the announcement of the acquisition but unfortunately, Diangana failed to cross the bridge of quality from the second tier to the top contributing just one goal throughout the entire season. He fell out of favour within the West Brom squad and after returning from a seven-game spell on the sidelines would feature just four times in Albion's remaining 14 games, starting just one.

Diangana has failed to be the diamond Baggies prayed he'd be

What has since followed after West Brom's ultimate return to the second tier has been a mix of brief intermittent magic mixed in with sustained spells on the sidelines for Albion's fast forward, who many would have likely had no objection in allowing to leave come the close of his contract based on his six-season spell.

Failing to break into the double digits in either the goal or assist column in any season Diangana has dawned the blue and white stripes, the forward has failed to display the conviction and consistency that a player with a £12m price fee should, leaving little suggestion he has done enough to warrant a deal on improved terms after just 26 goals in 190 appearances.

Dianagana has also spent 260 days of his time as a Baggie on the sidelines, suffering from four separate injuries since his summer arrival in 2019 the latest of which kept him out of nine of West Brom's 31 Championship matches this season.

Although Diangana played some of his finest football in a blue and white shirt as lately as last season with 15 goal contributions, the infuriating infrequency of the flair players' performances have not displayed enough to greenlight another long-term deal for the 26-year-old.

Albion can also not afford to replicate a similar scenario to that of Daryl Dike, who despite suffering from successive injuries keeping him to just 32 appearances in four seasons, remains the highest-paid permanent player at the club with no possibility of his name being cleared from the wage bill with over a year remaining on his deal.

Although Diangana has not suffered with spells of absence to the level of Albion's USMNT international, it is a key detail to bear in mind as Mowbray makes his contract call.

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However, since Tony Mowbray made his return to The Hawthorns' hot seat, Diangana's stellar showing versus Portsmouth of two goals and two assists has seen him find favour in the Baggies boss' plans who has himself clarified his desire to renew terms with the winger, but has also made clear his lack of understanding of any obstacles to a deal being reached.

He told the Express and Star:

"I would like to have Grady in our team moving forward, but I don't have a clue how much he earns. It's not right for me to stamp my feet and say 'I want him".

Diangana's estimated £20,385 weekly salary marks him as the fifth highest-paid permanent player at the club, and with interest already circling for the Congolese international's signature, the club must consider the likely inflated demands of the 26-year-old who is sure not to be short of possible summer options.

Fabrizio Romano announced via his X account that Celta Vigo and Parma have already expressed interest in securing the winger's services who would surely seek to become Baggies' best-paid player should he decide to stay with the side, something Shilen Patel and Bilkul would likely be hesitant to allow considering their prerogative to remove higher wages from the bill since their takeover.

With Mowbray the man likely with the final call on allowing Diangana's contract to close, the forward's faltering form upon his last spell in the top-flight is a major cause for concern considering that is where Mowbray will be hoping to be managing his troops next term, leaving a likely departure potentially the best scenario for both parties.