Baggies boss Mowbray tips loanee Simpson to make big impact at Arsenal

West Brom forward Jay Simpson has had an impressive start to his loan spell at the Hawthorns West Bromwich manager Tony Mowbray is not a man given to outlandish statements. So when he says Jay Simpson has the qualities to be an Arsenal player ‘for a very long time’, it pays to listen. On-loan striker Simpson, 20, will make his full Hawthorns debut on Saturday in a game against Middlesbrough that will provide yet another twist to an intriguing battle to survive the drop. He showed flashes in his first game at Villa Park last week and followed it with a stunning strike against Peterborough in the FA Cup. ‘I don’t want to put too much of a burden on Jay,’ said Mowbray. ‘Clearly, he’s a very good footballer. He scored a great goal the other night. 'In training, he’s got a real enthusiasm and quality in what he does. 'Yet he still has moments where you can see he is still a boy, in terms of the game. ‘He’s got the potential to damage Premier League defences. He’s certainly got the potential to excite our supporters. ‘I can’t compare him to anyone. What I like about him is that he can dribble with the ball as well as run without it.   More... Bolton to fork out£500,000 to loan Benfica hitman Makukula WEST BROM v Middlesbrough: Fortune could favour the Baggies WEST BROM FC NEWS ACROSS THE WEB Adebayor has been a let down this season, says Arsenal boss Wenger ARSENAL FC NEWS ACROSS THE WEB 'That’s a great quality because a lot of strikers just want to run into the space behind. 'Others just want to dribble all day. Yet this kid can do both. ‘He also has a thirst to score goals. You can see that in training. He has a good technique striking the ball and a desire to work hard.’  

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