Callum Robinson: Inside track on West Brom's latest signing

We spoke with Sam Parry, from Dem Blades Fanzine, and Ben Meakin, from Blades Pod, to get a proper look at Albion's new forward.

See what he had to say here...

What have you made of Callum Robinson from his time at Bramall Lane so far?

SP: It has obviously been a period of minor frustration for both player and club.

Callum Robinson started the season as one of our first choice strikers for a reason.

He had a great pre-season and has always looked like he has great feet and can finish, the problem as I see it is that finishing and feet are not enough to earn a first-team spot – just ask Billy Sharp.

BM: Mixed - he was a standout performer in pre-season and then a starter for us as the season got underway.

Since then he's slipped down the pecking order and become an impact sub for us. He's done okay, getting a goal and assist at Stamford Bridge and helping set up a couple of other goals coming off the bench.

I was expecting more out of him though, especially after what I'd seen from him at Preston - but he hasn't quite fit into our system this season and been surpassed by our other forwards.

What are Robinson's strengths and weaknesses, having seen him up close?

SP: While Robinson has been effective coming off the bench to supply crucial goals this season, for me he simply doesn’t have the pace to augment the smooth functioning of our 3-5-2 system.

He is a technical striker, more in the mould of David McGoldrick than Lys Mousset, and you can see all of his qualities in the assist for Oli McBurnie’s goal against Manchester United earlier this year.

But our formation requires pace to stretch opponents, and I think, rather than having any specific weakness, Robinson is the victim of not fitting in with Chris Wilder’s approach right now.

BM: Tidy footwork - he's very good at creating a little bit of room for himself in tight spaces, as evidenced by the goal he set up for Oli McBurnie against Manchester United.

The slight on his game is that he's only really contributed for us in flashes rather than putting in a solid 60+ minute performance when he's had the chance - we don't have as much possession in the Premier League as we did last season, so we have to use the ball well when we get it, and he hasn't been quite up to scratch.

Are you confident in him returning to the Blades and becoming a key player there in the future?

SP: I’m not confident about him coming back.

Of course, I wouldn’t rule it out, I really like Robinson and he might fit into our team further down the line as our squad evolves.

But – and it’s a rather hefty ‘but’ – I doubt Chris Wilder would let a player leave while being mindful of his future return. There is no precedent for that under Wilder’s time in charge.

However, the deal is only a short term loan without any clauses that enforce WBA to buy Robinson, so maybe the boss has one eye trained on his return.

BM: I am, which is why the loan makes sense to me.

We've seen so often under Wilder that new signings take a while to adapt to our system and often don't "come good" until the next season - I'd cite Enda Stevens, George Baldock and John Lundstram as the obvious examples here.

With Robinson, he was primarily a wide forward at Preston and we've very rarely played in a way that uses him in that position, apart from a few games where we've switched to a 4-3-3.

From what I can tell, we've been trying to retrain him as a more central striker, so I'm interested to see if that's how West Brom intend to use him.

How do you expect him to get on in the Championship at Albion?

SP: If he goes straight into the first team, I expect he will do well.

I know rather little about West Brom’s playing style or current squad, so I’ll plead the fifth on this. But I hope he gets regular game time and shows he can create and score goals, that will do both clubs and himself the world of good.

BM: I expect him to do well - his record at Preston, in a - respectfully - weaker team, suggests he's more than competent at this level.

I'm excited to see how it goes - he was a player I really wanted us to sign, so I'm personally disappointed it hasn't worked out yet but hopefully this move will work out well for both Robinson and West Brom.

Should Albion earn promotion, could you see a circumstance where Sheffield United let him go permanently? How much do you reckon he'd command in the current market?

SP: I’m sceptical that West Brom would sign him for the Premier League barring a miraculously successful spell at the Hawthorns.

He hasn’t set the world alight in the top flight this season, so it’s low risk for West Brom to take him on load without their hand being forced.

If he does enjoy a great spell, then I reckon the club would expect a small profit on what they paid in summer 2019.

BM: I could in that we might have moved on and be looking to upgrade that position.

But if I was putting money on it, I'd expect him to be part of our squad next season unless there's already an obligation for West Brom to buy upon promotion, or if we get an offer that we can't realistically turn down.

At the time of writing we're left with four strikers, two of whom are in their early-to-mid-30s (Billy Sharp and David McGoldrick) and another who has fitness issues.

My guess is that Sharp and McGoldrick are used less next season and Robinson is back in the fold.

As to value, we paid around £7m (with incentives) for him last summer, so I'd be surprised if we're willing to part with a player in his mid-20s, who now has Premier League experience and seems a popular member of our squad, for anything less than £10-12m.

You can follow Sam's work on Twitter here. You can follow Ben's work on Blades Pod here.