This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

West Brom return to action following the international break, looking to maintain the form that has seen Slaven Bilic's side rise to the summit of the Championship, ahead of the weekend trip to Middlesbrough.

Bilic is likely to have his sights firmly set on his side's promotion challenge through to the business end of the season, though, he's also likely to have one eye on the players he has sent out on loan.

One such player is striker Jonathan Leko who came through the youth ranks at the Hawthorns and is currently plying his trade on a season-long loan at Charlton Athletic, having previously spent a loan spell at Bristol City.

He has made an impressive start to life at the Valley, with him getting plenty of much-needed game-time.

So with this in mind, do you think the Baggies will look to keep hold of Leko next season?

We discuss........

Kris Smith

"I believe so, at Charlton, Leko is operating as part of a very exciting attack and is looking every bit the player his parent club hope he’ll grow into.

"With West Brom’s wealth in attack this season, a loan move for Leko was inevitable, and I hope that he sees it as a chance to prove to the Baggies that they might regret letting him leave for the season and then stake a claim for more involvement on his return.

"After all, he is only 20 years old and has plenty of time to reach his potential at West Brom so patience is needed. With regular game time this season, in different positions as well, Leko is only going to get better and better with time, and West Brom will have a much better player for it.

"West Brom hold all the cards in this situation, with Leko being deemed surplus to requirements, they have recruited very well in his position, so if he still doesn’t make his way up the pecking order on his return, another club will happily take him. However, if he does prove he can perform for West Brom, they will surely keep him on."

George Brooks

"I think so. Leko is a talented player, he's done a great job at Charlton so far.

"I think it shows what a good decision it was to send him out on loan. West Brom have got some very exciting and talented attacking players in their squad, so Leko probably wasn't going to get too many opportunities in the first team at the Hawthorns.

"Sending him out on loan to a club like Charlton, where Lee Bowyer has shown that he's prepared to give young players a chance, has allowed him to gain more experience in the Championship.

"He's showing great potential and Slaven Bilic should be able to get the best out of him when he returns to the Hawthorns. I think the Baggies should look to keep hold of him."

Chris Thorpe

"Hard to say really, obviously he has never played under Slaven Bilic, so in that sense he is an unknown quantity to the West Brom manager, which may work in his favour.

"Leko has proved this season that he can cut it at Championship level, however the Baggies are aiming for the Premier League, surely if they saw a future with him in the squad, he would be playing at the Hawthorns as we speak.

"The fact they bought in Zohore and Austin during the summer indicates to me that Bilic prefers to sign experienced strikers as opposed to younger, more raw talent.

"Overall I expect Leko to return to West Brom, however I wouldn't be surprised if he moved on during the summer, to free up wages and squad space."

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