West Bromwich Albion have confirmed the signing of former Barnsley striker Devante Cole as they strengthen their forward options.
With Baggies striker and top scorer last season Brandon Thomas-Asante set to move to local Championship rivals Coventry City, they are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements.
This means that they are quite weak in the striking department, with Josh Maja and Daryl Dike being very injury-prone and Karlan Grant likely to depart after spending last season on loan at Cardiff City.
Manager Carlos Corberan has recognised this and decided to bring in a solid asset who was recently let go by the League One club after three years in Yorkshire.
The player has struggled in the Championship in previous years, but Corberan will believe that he can turn this fortune around as he signs for the Baggies.
Devante Cole joins West Brom
After he was released by Barnsley, Devante Cole has now joined West Brom on a two-year deal, the club has announced.
The 29-year-old was let go by Barnsley after his contract expired with the Yorkshire club and has now joined the Baggies as he returns to Championship football after a two-season hiatus in League One.
Cole enjoyed his best goalscoring season in his professional career last year, as he scored 18 times as he guided Barnsley to sixth place in League One, confirming Playoff status at the end of the season.
However, like the season previous, Barnsley yet again were defeated in the Playoffs as Bolton defeated the Tykes 5-4 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
Despite Cole finishing as top scorer for Barnsley last season, the club decided that they were not going to renew his contract as he began to look for an opportunity elsewhere.
The Englishman joins West Brom seeking redemption as he attempts to prove himself as a Championship level striker.
The deal is fairly risk-free for the Baggies. His wage demands will be fairly low and they have not had to pay a fee for his services as he was released.
However, at 29 years old he has yet to establish himself at a level higher than League One. This could mean that he is an unreliable option for consistent goals at this level.
Overall, as a backup striker, he is a solid enough option but will likely not be good enough for the Baggies to be their starting striker, and they will continue to search the market to find one if concerns around Maja and Dike’s fitness are too strong.
