West Bromwich Albion are reportedly interested in signing James Collins while they are also apparently closing in on Kyle Bartley.
One of the toughest tasks that was always going to face Darren Moore this summer ahead of his first season as permanent West Brom boss was replacing the key men that the Baggies sold following their relegation.
Sam Johnstone has come in to pave the way for Ben Foster’s exit, but Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley have not yet been replaced, while Craig Dawson is also keen on a move away – as reported by the Express and Star.
That situation makes it appear that centre-back could be a real Achilles heel for the Baggies next term, but perhaps recent transfer reports hint that Moore is actually eyeing up a partnership that would be fantastic for West Brom.
BBC Sport has recently reported that the club are in talks over a move for Kyle Bartley. Bartley has never quite managed to establish himself at Swansea but has shown that he can be one of the best centre-backs in the Championship, having nearly guided Leeds to the play-off places during a loan spell at Elland Road.
He is a leader and certainly has the potential to be a superb signing. And Moore is seemingly looking at pairing him with a player who could arguably prove to be just as inspired an addition.
Collins may be reaching the twilight of his career, but he showed last season that he can still make the grade in the top flight so there is no reason to believe that he would not be one of the best in the second tier if he does end up moving to The Hawthorns.
Putting Collins and Bartley together could give West Brom the most impressive centre-back pairing in the Championship and will help leave many convinced that their Premier League exile will last just one season.
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