“So much sharper” – West Brom make Karlan Grant claim despite impending Mikey Johnston danger.

This post is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which features unique perspectives from our FLW Fan Pundits on the most recent breaking news, teams, players, managers, possible signings, and more…

West Bromwich Albion are presently leading the Championship standings ahead of matchday six in the 2024/25 season.

Carlos Corberan has orchestrated an unblemished start to the new season, bringing out performances from players who were previously written off before a ball was ever thrown.

Karlan Grant is one of those guys who has had a great opening five games. After failing to impress on loan at Cardiff City in 2023/24, the forward returned to The Hawthorns with low expectations for his performance this season.

He has been a fantastic winger for the Baggies, causing his manager some selection headaches ahead of the visit of Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

Mikey Johnston was brought in on deadline day from Celtic for a reputed £3 million, following a brilliant loan spell at the back end of last season. There will be considerable rivalry for a position on the left-wing.

Corberan has a major decision to make for this weekend’s contest.

After a strong start, the Spaniard may not modify his winning recipe. However, Johnston’s prior results for West Brom may warrant a change.

During his loan time with the Baggies, the Republic of Ireland international scored seven goals in 18 games. He also appeared briefly in last Sunday’s 3-0 triumph over Portsmouth.

Football League World interviewed West Brom Fan Pundit, Callum Burgess, about Corberan’s likely starting lineup vs Plymouth.

He stated, “I think many fans will want Mikey Johnston to come into the team as soon as possible, but obviously, Grant’s first five games this year have seen him become the most popular among the Albion fanbase in his entire career.”

“That includes the years under Valerien Ismael and Steve Bruce, when the squad wasn’t performing well, and he still managed 19 goals, although he wasn’t particularly popular.

“In the first five games of the season, he’s given 110% in every one. Callum told FLW, “He’s looked so much sharper since he came back in preseason, and Corberan seems to be really impressed by him.”

“I believe this will be his final game starting, and Mikey Johnston will receive at least half an hour off the bench, and it may be Johnston’s turn to lose the following week.

“But at the moment it’s a bit of a competition between those at the moment which no one would have seen coming.”

Mikey Johnston West Brom 2023/24 Stats All Competitions (TransferMarkt)
Appearances	20
Goals	7
Assists	2

West Brom must prevent any loss of momentum.

Although Johnston has previously performed well at the club, Grant is now in form in that position, and he would be quite disappointed to lose out after the manner he has started the season.

He has been a danger coming in off the left and has been quite active in the opposing box, with 27 touches. However, he has not received the desired number of goals or assists.

West Brom presently has a solid defense and Josh Maja up forward, making it difficult to change the strategy without negatively impacting results.

Plymouth are not showing up to make up the numbers, as they demonstrated in their win over Sunderland last weekend. The Baggies will need to be at their best to secure all three points at The Hawthorns, regardless of whether they pick Grant or Johnston.

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