West Brom season preview: Can Anelka fill the Lukaku shaped hole?

Emily Ward looks at the Premier League’s ‘secret’ top ten team, the unheralded Baggies.

Last Season8th. A fantastic season for West Brom who proved their doubters wrong, and also surprised themselves, never dropping below the top ten. However they peaked far too soon and won just four of their last 21 games in all competitions. An also disappointing run in both domestic cups.

Off-season reportLukaku has gone back to Chelsea and after netting 17 goals last season and this will be a big blow for West Brom. However, Nicolas Anelka is a decent replacement. There have also been links with the club trying to get Manchester City reject Scott Sinclair. Experienced centre-half Diego Lugano has gone to the club on a free transfer, who will be competing with Gareth McAuley and Jonas Olsson to get a place in the team. Will Peter Odemwingie finally make that move to QPR that he so longed for last season?

Season objectivesThe bad form that West Brom finished with last season may start with them this season, so their main aim, based on the poor end of season performance, will be survival initially before looking to get back up in the top ten. They need to focus on stability in the PL above everything else which will put performance in the domestic cups on the back burner.

ManagerSteve Clarke. This was his first permanent management role for any club and he really excelled himself last season. This season will be hard to follow up on; does Clarke have the ability to motivate his team and introduce a more positive, lasting, frame of mind amongst players in time for next season?

StrengthsA generally solid and organised team full of close-knit and experienced senior Premier League players. This versatility in the West Brom squad has even lead Clarke to say that these possible options give him “fantastic problems”.

WeaknessesWith Lukaku gone, West Brom will undoubtedly struggle more than last season to get goals, especially as his goals accounted for 32% of their total in the season. However, his influence may have been overplayed by many as he actually only started 20 of the 38 games last season. There are other players in the team that are capable of stepping up if they are given the motivation. The end of last season also saw some players lose form and fitness.

Key PlayerNicolas Anelka. West Brom fans are already excited about having this experienced French striker on their side to start netting goals for them. Although he is a proven goal scorer, at 34, questions of fitness arise. There are also doubts over whether he will be provided with the service he needs to start scoring.

It’s a big season forShane Long. He is far from fully developed and certainly has a lot to learn but if Steve Clarke puts faith in him there is a good chance that with this confidence boost he can become a top striker. He had a great record from his time at Reading it would be good to see him impact the Premier League in such a manner.

Emerging starEnglish midfielder George Thorne made 5 appearances for The Baggies in the league last season which unfortunately came to a halt after he picked up a nasty ligament injury. If he can remain fit this season then it is likely he will get a few more chances to adapt and impress.

PredictionMid-table. Unlikely to achieve the same success as last year but it is equally as unlikely that things will go drastically wrong.

There is a lot pending on the success of new striker Anelka, alongside all other possible striker options. If this signing does not quite work out as planned then it could be a long and hard journey for West Brom this season.

Overall, the solidarity and unity of this team will remain and should be enough to ensure a safe finish.