One of Arsenal’s biggest problems this season has been a lack of finishing in advanced positions (their inability to hold onto leads is another story altogether), as we all know that the Gunners play the most stylish football in all of England, but they sometimes fail to finish off the move.
Even though Arsenal is second in the Premier League in goals scored, they could always stand to have more strikers, especially in the case of the perpetually injured Robin van Persie. Carlos Vela is one of those strikers, but he wasn’t being given much playing time, so he went on loan to West Brom, and the Mexican international has been involved in a few plays that has netted some crucial points for the Baggies.
Those who are gambling online have seen the potential in Vela, a 22-year-old who has loads of pace, and West Brom happily took him on loan at the end of January. His first goal came in his third game as Vela scored in injury time to earn West Brom a point at home against Wolverhampton, and in the next match, he notched another late equalizer at Stoke City in a match that carried West Brom out of the relegation zone. Then Vela sat for three matches (all wins for West Brom), he was brought on as a substitute in a 3-1 loss at home to Chelsea, but he was given the start at Tottenham and set up the first goal for Peter Odemwingie en route to a 2-2 draw for West Brom.
West Brom shouldn’t have any worries with relegation as they sit 12th in the Premier League table, but only six points out of the drop zone. Therefore, the hunt for points is never over and they have four matches left in the season, beginning this weekend at home against Aston Villa. Odemwingie is obviously the top striker in the pecking order, but he and Vela showed some improving communication against Tottenham, so look for the 22-year-old to get some more work in before heading back to Arsenal in the offseason.
Carlos Vela News 