Carlos Corberan will know all too well, from West Bromwich Albion‘s summer transfer activity, the disappointment that comes with losing a star player for nothing.
Cedric Kipre walked away from the Hawthorns for zilch this off-season, having been an imposing presence at the back for the promotion chasers during the 2023/24 campaign, but both Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi have managed to step up to the mark in his absence so far this Championship campaign.
Going the other way, there are other instances where losing a player for nothing is actually a benefit, with the individual in question, unfortunately, becoming a flop that needs to be taken off the roster.
Kenneth Zohore certainly fits into that latter category, with the Danish striker costing the Baggies an obscene amount to land in 2019, only for the ex-Cardiff City man to struggle throughout his cursed stay in the West Midlands.
Zohore’s time at West Brom
There will have been some doubters from the get-go when Zohore penned a bumper deal to move to West Brom, having not exactly been an unbelievable goal machine when lining up for Cardiff prior to making the switch.
The Danish striker would only find the back of the net an underwhelming 24 times from 101 total clashes for the Bluebirds, with many left wondering why West Brom – then managed by Slaven Bilic – had forked out £8m to win his services as a result.
Zohore was prone to a purple patch in front of goal in the Welsh capital from time to time, but eyebrows were rightly raised about why the second-tier side decided to splash the cash on an attacker once described as being “lazy” by outspoken former Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock.
The Scandinavian forward would just never settle at West Brom, with the towering 6 foot 2 striker only registering a lacklustre five goals from 23 appearances, before finding his contract had been torn up in 2023.
It’s not been any easier for the now 30-year-old attacker since his Baggies exit, with the former Denmark U21 international now unemployed after more goal-shy spells.
Zohore’s numbers since leaving West Brom
Zohore ended up relocating over to Poland in the wake of being pushed out to West Brom, lining up for Slask Wroclaw in a bid to breathe life back into his stuttering playing days.
Yet, his time playing in the Ekstraklasa proved to be even more damaging than his spell in the Premier League, with Wroclaw also releasing the 30-year-old – who remains without a club – earlier this year after he continually fired blanks.
Zohore’s numbers for Wroclaw | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Club played for | Games played | Goals scored | Assists |
Wroclaw | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Wroclaw II | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Sourced by Transfermarkt | |||
Zohore would never end up breaking his goalscoring duck whilst playing for Wroclaw, with the frustrated attacker even demoted to the reserves during his brief but damaging stint at the club.
Whilst West Brom have messed up in the transfer market previously, Corberan and Co did get a lot of deals right in the last window, especially with the phenomenal deal to gain Mikey Johnston back on a permanent basis.
Helping himself to an immense seven goals from just 18 games whilst out on loan last season, West Brom managed to win him back for good for just £3m, £5m less than Bilic and co forked out to land Zohore in what now goes down as a major blunder.
Corberan won’t want to have any similar misfires moving forward if the Baggies taste promotion up to the Premier League, as the West Midlands side aim to continue operating effectively, instead of splashing cash rashly.
