It has been a solid start to the season for Valerien Ismael at West Brom in his first season in charge at the Hawthorns as he aims to guide the Baggies back into the Premier League.
The Baggies went unbeaten in their first 10 Championship matches this season to underline their promotion credentials and show that they can be a force in the league this campaign.
However, two defeats in their previous four games have shown some vulnerabilities. That is something that Ismael will need to now work on to ensure his side can keep pace with the likes of Bournemouth and Fulham in the automatic promotion race.
The run-up to the January transfer window is going to be crucial for the Baggies. They can not afford to drop too far bellow Bournemouth and Fulham if they are going to still be in with a chance of securing a top-two finish in the second half of the season.
It will also be vital that the Baggies look to strengthen their squad in key areas in the January transfer window.
While they will also need to ensure that any clubs that come looking for their best players in the winter are left disappointed.
With that in mind, we take a look at TWO West Brom players that might see some interest come their way from elsewhere in the January window…
Sam Johnstone
One player in West Brom’s squad who seems to be constantly reported to be on the radar of other clubs is goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
It was believed in the summer that the England international was subject of an offer from West Ham that was rejected and there was also interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite all of the interest in Johnstone after his involvement for England at the Euros in the summer, West Brom were able to keep hold of the keeper until at least January.
Ismael has even hinted that the Baggies are attempting to get him to sign a new deal to potentially secure his long-term future at the Hawthorns.
However, since then, it has been reported that Johnstone is now on the radar of Southampton and the Saints could potentially make a move for him in January.
Although it is believed that they might be prepared to wait until the summer and try and sign him on a free transfer instead.
It is obvious why other teams are interested in Johnstone, he has really started to emerge as a key part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad now and he has been in strong form whenever he has played for the Baggies this term.
He is very much a Premier League quality goalkeeper that just happens to be spending a year at West Brom in the Championship. He will not be in the English second tier for long though irrespective of where Ismael’s side finish.
Grady Diangana
It has been a slow start to the season for Grady Diangana under Ismael as he has struggled to fully convince the new West Brom manager that he is capable of starting week in week out for them in his system in the Championship.
Diangana has managed to make eight starts in the league out of West Brom’s opening 14 matches, but he has been finding himself out of the side more often than not over the last few games.
The 23-year-old has a lot of potential and that is why West Brom paid a hefty transfer fee to sign him from West Ham ahead of their return to the Premier League last season.
Last time he was in the Championship with the Baggies, Diangana managed to fire home eight goals and provided six assists in his 30 appearances as he demonstrated his quality and potential during an impressive campaign.
There is a chance that other teams could take a look at Diangana’s situation at West Brom this season and decide to test the waters and try and see if the Baggies would be open to allowing him to leave the club.
If Ismael does not see Diangana fitting into his long-term plans within his system then the Baggies might be tempted to cash in on him and recoup some of the fee they paid for him to West Ham.
It would be a major risk though considering West Brom’s depth in the final third is not the best. Diangana probably just needs some time to restore his confidence and get back to the player he is capable of being.