Premier League Preview - Can West Brom Cope Without Lukaku?

It is safe to say that West Brom slipped under the radar last season. On loan striker Romelu Lukaku took a lot of the heat off his teammates but they will have to step up to the plate this season as they will be without him after he returned to Chelsea.

Experienced striker Nicolas Anelka has been brought as a replacement for Lukaku although it seems unlikely he will score as many goals as the Belgian did, but Anelka and Shane Long have played well together in pre-season which is an encouraging sign for Baggies fans. Matej Vydra is another welcome addition to the squad as his tricky play will offer something different to West Brom’s attack.

The addition of centre back Diego Lugano will not only help to shore up the defence, but will also bring more competition for Jonas Olsson and Gareth McAuley. The pair were comfortable last season as there were no other centre-backs of their quality in the squad to compete for a place.

West Brom may be unable to replicate last season’s 8^th place finish without Romelu Lukaku, but they will have enough to be safe in mid table. A lack of depth will hinder their ability to finish any higher though.

Prediction: 13^th.

Thomas Baxter