The Steve Bruce era at West Bromwich Albion has begun after the 61-year-old was appointed on a contract until the summer of 2023 this past week.

Albion's hierarchy sacked Valerien Ismael earlier in the week after performances had spiralled under the Frenchman in recent weeks - he left the club in the play-off places but the pack behind were closing in.

With four promotions to his name from the second tier, Bruce was selected as the replacement for Ismael and has been tasked with getting the Baggies back to the top flight, but his playing squad is noticeably small.

 

 

 

 

The transfer window closed on Monday night but there are still free agents who are looking for clubs for the rest of the season and potentially beyond - let's look at three players who could help bolster Albion's frail squad.

Jack Wilshere

Wilshere has been looking for a new club since the summer after his departure from AFC Bournemouth, and despite the obvious injury concerns it's perhaps a surprise that he's not been fixed up yet.

The ex-England international didn't show any signs of poor fitness when at the Cherries and he can definitely still go at Championship level - right now he's keeping fit with Arsenal at their warm weather training camp in the Middle East.

Could he do a job at the Baggies though? Well they are struggling for numbers in the engine room and whilst he might be a similar type of player to Alex Mowatt, Wilshere would definitely fit the bill in terms of quality.

Ahmed Elmohamady

The Egyptian right-back is somewhat of a Bruce staple so it would be no shock to see him rock up to The Hawthorns.

Bruce has signed Elmohamady at three different clubs, first bringing him to England in 2010 at Sunderland then also acquiring him at both Hull and Aston Villa.

Now 34 years of age, Elmohamady is clearly in the twilight of his career and hasn't had a club since the summer after his release from Villa, and with both Darnell Furlong and Taylor Gardner-Hickman in the squad there may not really be a need for a player in that position.

But it wouldn't be a surprise to see him join until the end of the campaign to add some more depth.

Jota

A player who needs no introduction to English football, Jota has been on the books at Brentford, Birmingham City and also Aston Villa so he is well-versed to playing in the Midlands.

The Spaniard made his greatest impact at Brentford which secured him a £6 million move to the Blues in 2017, but his time there and also in the Premier League with Villa wasn't so successful.

Having spent last season in La Liga with Alaves, Jota is without a club and if Bruce goes to playing a 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 then the club could do with another option out wide and the 30-year-old could provide that.