We plan out West Bromwich Albion’s January transfer activity.
West Bromwich Albion are about to embark on a hectic winter schedule, which sees them play nine games in forty-three days.
We still have the relative calm of this week before this busy schedule kicks off with the visit of Burnley; so why not use this time to start thinking about Albion’s plan for the January transfer window.
Here is an outline of five things Albion should do when the window opens:
1) Quality over quantity
Albion have a solid group of trusted Premier League players but they still lack quality in certain areas of the field.
Tony Pulis would definitely benefit from adding a dynamic central midfielder to his squad. The Claudio Yacob and Darren Fletcher partnership has looked frail at times, and this is an area where Albion could really find some improvement.
Just as Steven N’Zonzi elevated Stoke City’s style of play, a rounded midfielder who can offer more quality on the ball would make a big difference to Albion’s starting eleven.
The Baggies hierarchy would be wise to identify a selection of suitable central defenders. Gareth McAuley and Jonas Olsson aren’t getting any younger – with the latter likely to finish his time at the Hawthorns in the summer.
Add in the interest that Jonny Evans has been attracting, and the need for more defensive options becomes increasingly urgent.
Brighton Hove Albion’s Lewis Dunk is the perfect example of what Albion need but players like him will be hard to prise away from their clubs midway through the season.
2) Offload outcasts
West Brom have one more transfer window to offload Saido Berahino before his contract expires in the summer. Both player and club will be better off when this sage finally ends; if that can happen in January then it will be a bonus for everyone.
There also appears to be no way back for Callum McManaman. The ex-Wigan man, who was Pulis’ first signing as West Brom boss, hasn’t featured at all this season. Despite his lack of game time, McManaman should draw plenty of interest from Championship clubs.
3) Use final domestic loan
Albion’s use of the domestic loan market has been poorly thought out in recent windows. Serge Gnarby and Alex Pritchard had the talent to improve West Brom’s starting eleven but they simply didn’t fit Tony Pulis’ profile.
With one domestic slot still open (two slots if Brendan Galloway returns to Everton), the Baggies need to identify players that Pulis can trust to feature regularly.
There has been talk of Memphis Depay joining from Manchester United but Albion will be at the back of a very long queue for the Holland international. Regardless of his talent, Depay shares many of the same traits as Gnarby and wouldn’t necessarily fit into Pulis’ plans.
Liverpool’s Mamadou Sakho is a more realistic option. The towering defender ticks many of Pulis’ boxes and may come with an option to buy in the summer.
4) Loan out youngsters
If Albion can bring in their desired targets they may have enough squad depth to loan out a few of their young players.
Sam Field and Jonathan Leko will have benefited from being around the first-team squad but nothing beats the lessons learned playing regular competitive football.
And there should be no shortage of interest in Field and Leko from Championship and League One clubs.
Tyler Roberts will return from Oxford United in January and could be sent back out on loan another club.
5) Take a chance on the lower leagues
Craig Dawson has been one of West Brom’s best transfer success stories in recent years.
He joined from Rochdale in 2010 and was immediately loaned back to the League One side. It took Dawson a few seasons but he developed into one of Albion’s most reliable performers.
Not every lower league signing will work out but it is certainly an avenue that West Brom should be more willing to take a gamble on. The rewards of discovering a lower league gem far exceed the risk.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
