It's no secret that West Bromwich Albion want AVFC forward John Carew; in fact, many reports suggested the only reason they had yet to sign the Norwegian was because Emile Heskey was hurt. Now that Aston Villa have procured the very expensive (yet likely worth it) signature of Darren Bent, the Baggies have renewed their efforts to snatch away Carew.
To be honest, it seems West Brom should have no trouble luring Carew away from Villa Park. The big guy knows he will only get a rare start, and that Bent's signing pushes him even further away from those starts. He and Gerard Houllier don't have the best of relationships. And, well, he's just not very good.
On Sunday, John Carew likely played his last match in claret and blue, and despite a good first five minutes or so on the pitch, he slipped back into the Carew Villa fans have seen this season. He was sluggish, his passes were misplaced, and he accomplished nothing in front of goal. Nothing from his performances this season say that Aston Villa should want to hang on to him. Yet history wise, it seems the man should still have it. 17 goals last season, 15 the one before that. Such talent shouldn't just disappear.
The Baggies appear to be taking that bet. Perhaps they think Carew is just wasting away under a manager who does not like him. Or maybe they think Carew's not getting enough service into the box, not enough chances to capitalize upon. If so, they're not watching Aston Villa, which would also explain why they still want him after this weekend. But if they play him in place of Peter Odemwingie, who's been excellent this season, we'll know that West Brom are truly insane.