West Bromwich Albion will be hopeful of competing for promotion back to the Premier League under Carlos Corberan for a third successive season.
The Baggies narrowly missed out on a top-six spot under the Spaniard during his first term in charge and were edged out by eventual winners Southampton in a play-off semi-final over two legs last campaign.
With a lot of change occurring at the club since Shilen Patel took control at The Hawthorns, a significant number of players arrived and left the club in order to balance the financial books.
At the end of the summer, Albion welcomed 11 new faces to the group, with this crop of players looking to take the club one step forward into the top flight of English football.
|West Brom - 2024/25 Signings|
|Player Name|Signed From|Loan/Permanent|
|---|
|Mikey Johnston|Celtic|Permanent|
|Callum Styles|Barnsley|Permanent|
|Torbjorn Heggem|Brommapojkarna|Permanent|
|Gianluca Frabotta|Juventus|Permanent|
|Devante Cole|Barnsley|Permanent|
|Ousmane Diakite|TSV Hartberg|Permanent|
|Joe Wildsmith|Derby County|Permanent|
|Mason Holgate|Everton|Loan|
|Paddy McNair|San Diego|Loan|
|Uros Racic|Sassuolo|Loan|
|Lewis Dobbin|Aston Villa|Loan|
As the halfway mark approaches in the second tier, the January transfer window provides another window of opportunity for clubs to add to their squads, and the Baggies in particular will have some interesting decisions to make about who arrives and departs.
Football League World has highlighted the transfers West Brom should consider making in January to benefit the club for the remainder of the season.
In: Kasey McAteer
Kasey McAteer scores for Leicester City against Preston North End
One player Albion should be taking a look at in the January market is Leicester City winger Kasey McAteer, who had a terrific debut Championship season as the Foxes made it back to the promised land of the Premier League last campaign.
The 23-year-old Republic of Ireland international faced a disrupted second-tier term with injury but still managed to record six strikes from 23 Championship appearances, with the expectation that these numbers will only improve with a consistent run of starts.
The Baggies are in need of healthy competition on the right-hand side to rival the exciting Tom Fellows as Championship action continues to ramp up, and McAteer could be the ideal candidate with his gametime at the Foxes in the top flight remaining limited.
In: James McAtee
James McAtee Pep Guardiola Man City
Carlos Corberan’s 4-2-3-1 setup that he’s opted for since taking charge at The Hawthorns means a creative playmaker is so vital for bringing goals at the top end of the pitch, and the Baggies have struggled to nail down a player for such a key position.
Grady Diangana, John Swift, and Karlan Grant have all had opportunities to prove their worth in the role, but another addition could be what is required for Corberan to truly find his best XI and to keep the service coming for Albion’s talisman, Josh Maja.
James McAtee was so influential for Sheffield United a couple of seasons ago when the Blades gained promotion back to the Premier League, contributing nine goals and three assists in 37 Championship outings.
With the abundance of quality Manchester City have at their disposal, it seems an uphill task for McAtee to bulldoze his way into the first-team crop at the Etihad Stadium this season, so another spell in the second tier could be just what he needs for Pep Guardiola to take notice moving forward.
It would be some coup – with Leeds United, Crystal Palace and West Ham United all reportedly hunting his signature.
Out: Devante Cole
Devante Cole
Despite only making his move to the Black Country in the summer, it could be the perfect time for Devante Cole to move away on loan to secure more gametime, with his stint in a Baggies shirt not going according to plan.
The 29-year-old has been resigned to a place on the bench due to the sensational run of form from Josh Maja, and the former Barnsley man will be becoming increasingly frustrated that opportunities have been so sparse for him to make a name for himself at The Hawthorns.
Mikey Johnston + West Brom Related
Celtic are the winners from £3m West Brom transfer right now
West Brom's decision to pay £3m to Celtic for Mikey Johnston is one they may regret as he has failed to find the net this season.
Clubs towards the bottom end of the Championship or the top in League One will undoubtedly be interested in a move for the experienced forward, with his 18 goals for the Tykes last term proving he does know where the back of the net is on a regular basis.
Out: Jed Wallace
Jed Wallace
Rounding off the outgoings list is winger Jed Wallace, who has fallen down the pecking order at the right-wing position due to the ever-impressive rise of youngster Tom Fellows.
At 30 years old, it’s as important as ever for Wallace to have stability and to be playing regular first-team football, so the current Albion club captain might be viewing the January transfer window as an avenue to move on and reignite his career.
Recording only six goals and five assists from 42 second-tier games last season was an indication that performances in a blue and white shirt have been regressing, but the wideman should certainly be an asset to another Championship side, with his former club Portsmouth, along with Luton Town registering an interest over the summer.