West Bromwich Albion have not yet made a move to bring Jonson Clarke-Harris to The Hawthorns this summer.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to Peterborough United director of football Barry Fry, who revealed in a recent interview with Transfer Tavern that West Brom, nor any other interested party, have made an offer for the 26-year-old centre-forward in the summer transfer window.
However, the 76-year-old did go on to admit that Posh have received eight enquires from eight different clubs for the in-demand forward, with teams such as West Brom, Rangers and Sheffield United all reported to be considering a move for Clarke-Harris, for whom Peterborough are believed to be demanding a fee of around £8m to part with.
Would Clarke-Harris be a good signing?
Yes
No
Ismael must move
Having highly impressed for Posh last season, it is unsurprising to learn of the considerable amount of interest in Clarke-Harris in the summer transfer window.
However, with it now being public information that a number of clubs are hesitant about turning their interest into a concrete offer for the striker, Valerien Ismael must use this knowledge to his advantage and look to tie up a deal for the £225k-rated man as quickly as possible.
Indeed, having scored a whopping 31 goals, provided three assists and created 11 big chances for his teammates over his 44 League One appearances last season, Clarke-Harris very much appears to be Ivan Toney Mark II – a player who recently fired Brentford to the Premier League with his 33 Championship goals, with Thomas Frank’s side now demanding a £45m fee for the 25-year-old they paid Peterborough £5m for just 12 months ago.
So, while many may look down their noses at signing a player from a recently promoted League One side, particularly for a team with hopes of securing an immediate return to the Premier League next season such as West Brom, the forward’s obvious goalscoring ability, as well as Toney’s evidence of being able to make the step up in divisions, would suggest that Clarke-Harris is nevertheless a player worth taking a punt on this summer, or else the man Darragh MacAnthony dubbed a “fantastic” striker could be a target Ismael comes to regret not pulling the trigger on 12 months down the line.
In other news: Fresh twist emerges on “talented” £3k-p/w West Brom target, Ismael will be buzzing