Carlos Corberan insists returning West Brom loan duo Cedric Kipre and Alex Mowatt can bring change
Albion chief Carlos Corberan sees returning talented technicians Alex Mowatt and Cedric Kipre as capable of bringing change to his side.
The head coach is in the slightly unusual position of taking back two experienced senior players from loans at rival Championship clubs.
Midfielder Mowatt, the 2021 signing from Barnsley, spent last season with Middlesbrough and central defender Kipre, who joined from Wigan in 2020, impressed at Cardiff.
Corberan, whose side kickstart their run of public friendlies with a trip to Cheltenham tomorrow night, explained how Mowatt in particular can help as Albion explore “new ideas” with their style.
Corberan said of taking back senior loans: “Sometimes yes, but for some clubs no. Southampton have some players in the Championship from last year. Tella for example. Smallbone at Stoke City. Leeds United had two players at Millwall and one at Rotherham.
“It’s not normal for clubs who have competed in the Championship in the same season, though. For me, more than that they were playing in the Championship, is the profile of both players.
“Both are players with very good technical skills. If you want to be dominant with the ball, you need players with good technical skills. We have changed ideas, I have new behaviours to introduce – yes.
“You are in the summer and you are watching football...then poof, you have new ideas. The key idea is what the player can offer.
“It’s not going to happen the same if you have Mowatt and Molumby in the same position – they give you different behaviours. They play the game in different ways.
“Molumby is totally different, one is dynamic the other is a more short number eight. If you put Molumby as a number six, you destroy some skills he has, his running and his arrival into the box and his possibility to score goals.
“Mowatt as a six – he has the ability to play in the building up of the action. One player changes what your team is doing. I can give you thousands of examples in football – Barcelona isn’t the same with Busquets and without Busquets. Or Rodri at Manchester City.”
Mowatt, 28, was in and out of the reckoning at Boro but still featured 31 times (13 starts) in all competitions at the north east side, who had a strong campaign.
Ivorian Kipre, 26, impressed in 41 league starts for Cardiff. Both are likely to have a chance to impress in upcoming friendlies.
