West Brom dodged a huge bullet after losing out on blockbuster transfer to Leicester City | OneFootball

The Baggies will be relieved they didn’t spend such a significant transfer fee on Islam Slimani after his dismal spell at Leicester City.

Back in 2016, West Brom were a team established in the Premier League and aiming to push up the top flight table - and they were ready to splash the cash.

The Baggies were managed by Tony Pulis and entered their seventh straight season of Premier League football, recording a 14th-placed finish under the Welsh coach in the previous term.

Pulis was renowned for wanting players with great height and physicality, particularly when leading the line, so it was unsurprising to see Islam Slimani linked with the Black Country outfit back in the summer of 2016, when he was playing for Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon.

The Baggies will look back and think they had a lucky escape given Slimani’s failure to make an impact when he eventually joined Leicester City.

West Brom had a lucky escape by missing out on Islam Slimani

During the summer transfer window of 2016, West Brom were reportedly set to beat the likes of Arsenal and West Ham for Islam Slimani’s signature, but a move never came to fruition.

The Algerian did make a move to England in the end, but with Leicester City, as the Foxes outbidded the Baggies and paid £29 million for his services after recently lifting the Premier League crown.

Despite Albion not landing their ideal target, Slimani was a flop at the King Power Stadium, something everybody connected to the Baggies will be relieved about.

After the Foxes won the top-flight title the season prior, Slimani felt the effects of a tough reality check for the club. Despite netting a debut brace against Burnley, he would score just two more goals before Christmas.

In the end, Slimani would record just nine goals in all competitions as Leicester suffered a measly 12th-placed finish. His playing style seemingly didn’t fit Claudio Ranieri’s philosophy, contributing to such an underwhelming debut in England.

12 top flight appearances followed the next season as Foxes fans began to see Slimani as a waste of money. He was never able to repay the big price tag, with it seemingly weighing down heavily on his shoulders.

A solitary strike against Huddersfield before the January transfer window turned out to be his last for the club before he ended the season away at Newcastle United.

West Brom still had a successful season despite not signing Islam Slimani

Despite Tony Pulis wanting to strengthen the forward department and not getting his wish, West Brom still had a fantastic season.

The Baggies profited off the impact of Salomon Rondon, who scooped the top scorer award at the club for a second successive campaign running, netting eight times.

Meanwhile, defender Gareth McAuley would score an impressive six times, with the Northern Irishman, along with Craig Dawson and Jonny Evans, becoming so effective from set pieces in the prime days of Pulis-ball.

With goals coming from all over the pitch, the Baggies recorded a top-half finish without the signing of Slimani, which would have been such a waste of imperative resources.

Although the lack of a talisman ultimately cost Albion their place in the Premier League just a year later, the West Midlands side will be grateful they didn’t have to struggle to shift another failed signing off their books when they were condemned to the second tier.