West Brom striker Karlan Grant is currently out on loan at Cardiff City.
Grant was the Baggies’ top scorer in the 2021-22 season with 18 goals, but his minutes were limited last season after Carlos Corberan’s arrival at the club in October.
The 26-year-old joined Cardiff City on loan in July, and he has played a key role in the Bluebirds’ strong start to the season, scoring one goal and providing two assists in 17 appearances for Erol Bulut’s side so far.
Corberan opened up on Grant’s long-term future at The Hawthorns this week, and he encouraged him to keep performing during his temporary spell in South Wales.
It’s impossible to close doors on players who are a part of this club,” Corberan told Birmingham Live.
“They still have contracts – Grant has two years more from next summer. It’s a case of when you have these feelings, and you are watching everything you have done, you re-evaluate how everything is working. Grant is playing every single minute, and I’m pleased.
“He’s not been changed. In the last games he hasn’t been a player the coach has been using to change. This is important when they’re playing every single minute – it means the coach believes in him and because he deserves this.
With Grant I’d say, before he went for the loan, that the way he came to pre-season I was thinking that this is a player who wanted to recover his level and we considered that the best way for him to rediscover his level was to move him from here. After, in the summer, in the right moment, we will re-evaluate the situation.”
Albion currently sit seventh in the Championship table, level on points with the play-off places, and they are back in action when they host second-placed Ipswich Town after the international break.
| Championship Table (As it stands November 13th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City | 16 | 19 | 39 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town | 16 | 15 | 39 |
| 3 | Leeds United | 16 | 11 | 31 |
| 4 | Southampton | 16 | 1 | 30 |
| 5 | Preston North End | 16 | -1 | 28 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 16 | 10 | 26 |
| 7 | West Brom | 16 | 9 | 26 |
| 8 | Hull City | 16 | 3 | 26
|
What did Carlton Palmer say?
Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said that Grant could still have a role to play for the Baggies in the future, and he says his versatility would make him a useful asset for Corberan.
“Corberan has stated that the door is open for Karlan Grant, who left West Brom in the summer on a season-long loan to Cardiff, to return at some point,” Palmer said.
“I think many were surprised when Karlan was allowed to leave in the summer on loan, but I think this was more to do with his salary and cost cutting done by West Brom rather than do with Corberan.
“Corberan likes versatile players, and Karlan was Albion’s top scorer in 2021-22 with 18 goals.
“He’s one of those players, he can play anywhere across the front line.
“With talk of an impending takeover, and with West Brom currently sitting in seventh place in the Championship, level on points with the play-off positions, if Corberan is allowed to bring in players in the January transfer window, he could well bring back a player who is playing regularly in the Championship and only have to find his salary not a fee.
“Grant will still have two years left on his contract if he is not recalled in January, so there is every chance he will return to his parent club, whether it is sooner or later.”
Could Karlan Grant have a future at West Brom?
Corberan should consider giving Grant another opportunity at The Hawthorns.
Grant has impressed during his spell at Cardiff so far, and he has proven he can be a prolific goalscorer at Championship level previously.
However, given Albion’s financial problems, they may need to cash in on Grant when he returns from his loan, and there would be question marks over whether they could afford his wages.
Grant fell out of favour under Corberan last season, and despite the Spaniard’s comments, it seems likely he will depart on a permanent basis next summer.
