West Bromwich Albion are among the clubs interested in Charlie Kelman, the 23-year-old striker who scored 27 times in all competitions on loan at Leyton Orient and finished League One’s top goal scorer.
The former USA U20 star man was born in the dazzling resort of classic Americana, Basildon, Essex.
Eligible to play for the States having spent much of his youth in Texas, Kelman was part of the FC Dallas youth setup before joining Southend United when he returned to England. QPR soon came calling, seeing potential in the then 19-year-old.
The Right Man For West Brom?
New Baggies head coach Ryan Mason’s side are looking to bolster their ranks up top, with injuries plaguing their current strikers.
Josh Maja finished as the side’s top scorer with 12 goals in just 26 appearances and Daryl Dike’s struggles with fitness continued, making just 11 league appearances, scoring once.
Kelman, therefore, seems like a must needed addition for West Brom. Now entering his last year under contract for QPR, West Brom and other interested parties must feel that a deal can be made.
The numbers also support the case for making an offer. Kelman boasts a shot conversion of 18.9% from his 111 shots in League One, outperforming the Championship’s top scorer Joël Piroe by 0.3% in this metric.
Should this output be scalable, Kelman could perform excellently in English football’s second tier.
The Doubts Remain For Charlie Kelman
Having once been dubbed the best finisher at QPR by Les Ferdinand, at a time where Charlie Austin was at the club, expectations were high for Kelman when he was in QPR’s youth system.
However, the striker remains goalless in the Championship in 23 appearances for the Rs.
Although this can be excused, as most of his minutes for his current side were off the bench, Kelman’s ability to score goals consistently should still be questioned.
Prior to his outstanding 2024/25 campaign, Kelman had struggled in front of goal. 5 goals in 37 appearances in League One preceded last season, and Leyton Orient fans had doubts about him when he returned to Brisbane Road as well.
In his previous loan spell at the club, Kelman scored just 7 goals in Orient’s 2022/23 League Two winning season.
This explosion of goals last season may be Charlie Kelman finally realising his well touted potential having been given solid minutes, or it could be a case of finding his level in League One.
West Brom’s own Devante Cole has similarly struggled at Championship level, failing to score last season in spite of an exceptional 33 goals in his previous two seasons in League One.
QPR seem likely to demand a high fee for the in demand 23-year-old, like with Sinclair Armstrong last season, despite his contract situation.
West Brom, or any other suitor, can ill afford to spend big without the guarantee of goals in the unforgiving Championship.
