West Brom will hope to repeat Romelu Lukaku transfer trick before Monday | OneFootball

Albion’s signing of Romelu Lukaku was a masterstroke, and the Baggies will be hopeful of replicating it to boost their promotion hopes.

Over the years, West Brom have recruited some star-studded strikers to keep them fighting in the top divisions of English football.

The Black Country outfit most notably had a successive eight-year stay in the Premier League from 2010 through to 2018, toppling heavyweight sides and establishing themselves as top flight mainstays.

During the early part of their stint, the Baggies would conduct a sensational piece of transfer business by recruiting teenage sensation Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea, with the then 19-year-old tasting regular Premier League football for the first time.

The Belgian international would go on to have a hugely successful season in the blue and white stripes, significantly contributing to an eighth-place finish under Steve Clarke.

With Albion currently suffering deficiencies in the striking department under Tony Mowbray, the Baggies will be hopeful of pulling off a similar deal for a forward who can have an immediate impact and help deliver the goals to get West Brom back into the Premier League.

Romelu Lukaku’s instant impact at West Brom

Arriving from Stamford Bridge on a season-long loan, many West Brom fans wouldn’t have expected Romelu Lukaku to have such an influence in B71.

Forced to make appearances from the bench in his opening few games for the club, Lukaku would grab his first goal for the Baggies on his debut, as Albion soared to an opening day 3-0 victory over Liverpool.

During the remainder of 2012, he showcased his goalscoring prowess on a consistent basis, netting against the likes of Reading, Newcastle, Sunderland and Norwich City.

The turn of the year would see Lukaku explode in front of goal, entering a purple patch of form.

The physical frontman would score on New Year’s Day in a defeat to Fulham before netting twice in a dramatic 3-2 loss to Reading.

Entering February and becoming one of the first names on the team sheet, Lukaku helped pull Albion out of a six-game winless run with a goal to complete a famous double over Liverpool, while the forward continued his superb record with a brace at The Hawthorns against Sunderland and a strike in a meeting with Swansea.

His last goal for the club came on the road at Southampton in a 3-0 rout, while he netted an incredible second half hat-trick in Albion’s famous 5-5 draw on the final day against Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.

Using his large frame to hold up the ball and bring others into play, while having a devastating effect in front of goal when given an opportunity, Albion had on their books a world-class striker for that season, with their league position in the top flight notably slipping season-upon-season after his departure.

During his time in the West Midlands, Lukaku recorded 17 goals and four assists from 35 top flight appearances, becoming the sixth-highest top scorer and outperforming all of Chelsea's attackers in that term.

West Brom must replicate Romelu Lukaku move to solve striker woes

West Brom find themselves in a promising position in the Championship entering the second half of the season.

With Tony Mowbray at the helm, Albion are on course for a place in the play-offs once again, but they need the addition of a goalscoring striker to help cement a spot come May.

With top scorer Josh Maja unable to make a return from a lower leg injury until the spring, summer signing Devante Cole has failed so far to make a positive impression, while Daryl Dike’s fitness is too unreliable to depend on his services every week.

West Brom must attempt to identify someone of the ilk of Lukaku, who has a massive physical presence but can get into the key attacking positions to score a considerable number of goals.

While it will be tough to recruit a player of that quality due to the club possessing no parachute payments, West Brom will have the best possible chance of doing so by recruiting an unknown forward from overseas, and hold hope they can take to Championship life with ease and secure regular goals at the top end of the pitch.