Why Alberth Elis would be the perfect January business for West Brom
According to the Sun, Championship side West Brom have set their sights on Houston Dynamo forward Alberth Elis, with manager Darren Moore keen to sign a replacement for Harvey Barnes, who has returned to his parent club Leicester City.
The 22-year-old Honduran international had a wonderful 2018 season in the MLS, where he amassed 11 goals and 9 assists from 30 appearances. A youth product of Honduran club Olimpia, Elis played for his boyhood club from 2013 to 2016 before making a move to Mexican club Monterrey.
Having failed to cement a regular first-team place at the Mexican club, Elis was loaned out to MLS outfit Houston Dynamo for the 2017 season where he hit the ground running, scoring 11 goals and setting up 3 more in the process. He has accumulated 22 goals and 15 assists from 64 appearances for Houston across all competitions.
Primarily a right-winger by trade, Elis also has the versatility to lead the line as a centre-forward. Known for his ability to rip defences apart with his lightning pace, power, strength and silky dribbling skills, the 22-year-old tends to cut inside from the flanks and finds space to have a crack on goal.
A fast, agile and fleet-footed attacker, Elis is a perfect fit for a wide forward with his high top speed, instant acceleration and clever changes or direction. However, he also has the instincts and the positional sense of a centre-forward. The Honduran is also quite good with his movement and excels with his ability to time his jump to perfection to beat the opposition to the aerial balls.
To put things into perspective, he might just turn out to be the ideal January business for West Brom and the Baggies can expect him to fill the void left by the departure of Harvey Barnes.
The Baggies currently sit third in the Championship standings, just three points behind Norwich City for the second automatic promotion spot. Darren Moore’s side have the most impressive goalscoring record in the second tier this season, having outscored their promotion-chasing rivals with 57 so far.
Jay Rodriguez and Dwight Gayle have been the main driving forces behind the Baggies’ surge for promotion, with both the strikers contributing with 14 goals each. However, with Hal Robson-Kanu still to hit top gear this season, they definitely need another fresh face to bolster their attacking options.
Someone like Elis will increase the competition for places up front and provide Moore with that cushion, should either of the first-choice strikers be sidelined with an injury towards the crunch end of the season.
Read More:- West Brom have given their season a much-needed push by completing a loan deal for this former England U21 international – Here is why he can help Darren Moore’s men
That said, West Brom should not hesitate to go all out for the in-form and versatile forward to help them in their bid for automatic promotion.
