West Brom manager ‘changed his life’, now he has 319 career goals and could win European title in 2024/25

Add as preferred source on Google

One former West Bromwich Albion player saw his career take off during a prolific spell at The Hawthorns.

West Brom are currently in the midst of a tense battle to secure promotion from the Championship in 2024/25.

The Baggies were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw at the hands of relegation-threatened Hull City over the weekend.

But despite this, they remained inside the top six after teams around them, including Middlesbrough, also dropped points.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
4	SunderlandSunderland	38	19	12	7	55	37	18	69
5	CoventryCoventry	38	17	8	13	55	48	7	59
6	West BromWest Brom	38	13	18	7	48	34	14	57
7	Bristol CityBristol City	38	14	15	9	49	41	8	57
8	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	38	15	9	14	57	48	9	54

While West Brom are battling for a play-off place in England’s second tier this campaign, one of their former players could win a European title in 2024/25.

• READ MORE: Tom Fellows’ stance on West Brom future revealed as ‘a number’ of Premier League clubs target ‘major talent’

Romelu Lukaku owed a lot to West Brom manager Steve Clarke

Romelu Lukaku made the move to England in 2011, leaving Belgian outfit RSC Anderlecht to link up with Chelsea.

Following one year at Stamford Bridge, the striker joined West Brom on loan for the 2012/13 Premier League season.

Still a teenager at the time, it was the first time the now 31-year-old began to showcase his true potential.

On the back of his spell with the Baggies coming to an end, Lukaku, as quoted by Sportskeeda, was quick to praise West Brom’s manager, Steve Clarke.

He said back in July 2013: “Steve Clarke put me on a platform where I could shine and he changed my life, because now the impact I have on some people is a bit bigger.

“I am very happy that I worked under him because he taught me a lot about the game – the mental aspect and the little points I had to improve on. He really took the time with me and I will thank him for all my life.”

Over a decade after his stint in the Midlands, Lukaku has firmly cemented himself as one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe.

After spells with the likes of Manchester United, Inter Milan, and AS Roma, he now has 319 goals and 95 assists at club level from 676 appearances.

The Belgian international’s most recent move saw him sign for Italian powerhouse Napoli, and with nine games of the Serie A season to play, they sit just three points adrift of first-place Inter Milan.

• READ MORE: Five things Tony Mowbray is telling West Brom players to do in games as club targets Premier League return

Why Romelu Lukaku apologised to Steve Clarke

Lukaku only spent one season with West Brom but seemingly formed an excellent relationship with Clarke.

The ex-Baggies boss is now manager of Scotland and has faced off with his former striker on several occasions as a result.

In a Euro 2020 qualifier, Belgium beat Scotland 3-0 in July 2019 with Lukaku getting himself on the scoresheet.

But after scoring for his country, Clarke revealed that the now Napoli ace apologised to him post-match, as per the Daily Record.

Clarke said: “I just had a big cuddle with him in the tunnel. He apologised for scoring.

“Listen, Romelu is a fantastic character and I enjoyed working with him. He was a young boy when he worked with me and he has grown since then. He is strong a goalscorer, who has played with some of the big clubs in the Premier League.”