Tony Mowbray hopes to engage in a “good marriage” with Grady Diangana at Albion – as he suggested new deal talks will follow.
Diangana, 26, lit up The Hawthorns on Mowbray’s return to the home dugout with a five-star performance in Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Portsmouth.
In a four-goal first half blitz, the DR Congo international scored twice and assisted on the other two goals, continuing his recent form surge.
Diangana is in the final season of his contract with Albion and recently claimed that the ball is in the Baggies’ court when it comes to his future, despite talk of interest from elsewhere.
Mowbray, a major admirer of the attacker, wants him to stay. The manager answered, “I would, since he is my type of footballer. The ball is not an issue for him; he can do whatever he wants.
“He’s a good kid, and it appears that if he stays in the position where we want him to play, he can cause harm. He wants to study and apply his talent.
“I believe there is a good marriage there. I’ll be with him all the way as long as he understands his role.”
“When you’re as talented as Grady, you roam around the pitch and expect everyone to pass the ball to you. If he’s never where he should be when we try to create, it’s a problem; there are huge gaps that we can’t bridge.
“But he’s shown great discipline in his play, scored some goals and enjoyed his football hopefully.”
Diangana was signed for £18 million by the Albion following their promotion to the Premier League in 2020, and Mowbray acknowledges the attacker’s exorbitant salary as one of the club’s highest earners may need to be addressed.
The club enters the summer with a few more first-team players out of contract, including John Swift and Semi Ajayi.
Mowbray went on to say, “I’d want to have Grady on our team going ahead, but I have no idea how much he makes. It’s not appropriate for me to stamp my feet and declare, ‘I want him’.
“He was a significant signing; the club was in the Premier League and spent a lot of money on him. I’d suppose his wage levels are quite generous for this football club. People may not be pleased if I demand that we sign him; they may think, “Well, he’s going to be off the wage bill soon,” or, “Then Tony can go get two or three players for the same cost.”
“But Grady understands how much I care about, want, and like him. We’ll have a talk later, and if he wants to stay, and maybe the club can obtain a contract that works for him, his family, and his agent; let’s see what happens.
“I admire talent, and he doesn’t have to look at the ball; he can do whatever he wants. “He’s a special footballer.”
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