Former England goalkeeper and pundit Paul Robinson has heaped praise on the Baggies for backing Valerien Ismael early on in his managerial reign in the transfer market after West Brom’s recent double swoop.

The Baggies made two signings on Tuesday with them first announcing the arrival of highly-rated teenager Quevin Moises Castro following a successful trial period with the club.

They then confirmed that they have secured the services of defender Matt Clarke on a season-long loan deal from Premier League Brighton to further enhance Ismael’s squad.

West Brom had already added Alex Mowatt to their squad on a free transfer as they gear up their preparations for the start of next term under Ismael.

More work will be needed to the squad before the campaign gets underway but the Baggies are starting to make progress now after a slow start to the transfer window.

Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson lauded West Brom for getting two quick-fire deals over the line and backed Ismael to be the right fit for the job of getting the club back into the Premier League if he is backed by the club’s board.

He said: “It’s great to see that Ismael is wasting no time.

“He is somebody who knows the Championship and I really think he is going to turn out to be a shrewd, shrewd appointment. I loved what I saw from him at Barnsley with the players he had there.

“They have acted quick in the transfer market which can only be a good thing.

“When you get relegated to the Championship it is vital you get promoted in the first season or two. We have seen Norwich and Watford do it this year.

“Just look at Leeds and how long it took them to get out. It is vitally important West Brom come up next season or the season after so it is good to see Ismael being backed to some extent.”

The verdict

You would have to agree with Robinson here, it was always going to be vital that West Brom acted swiftly in the transfer market once Ismael had been appointed because they have spent so much time this summer on trying to find the right manager to appoint.

The signing of Castro seems to be a very strong one for the future and Ismael is a manager that likes to work with players with the potential that the teenager has.

However, Clarke’s arrival was the major statement of intent from the Baggies and shows that they are serious about adding quality to the squad that is needed to help them achieve promotion.

Ismael will need to be given the resources to make a couple more changes to the squad over the coming weeks, but the signs are there that West Brom are prepared to back him in the transfer market.

That should put him in a good place to instill the same sort of winning mentality at the Hawthorns that he had done at Oakwell last term.