West Bromwich Albion will be gearing up for their first transfer window under new manager Carlos Corberan, who will surely be looking to put his stamp on the first-team squad.

He has every right to at this stage following such a positive start to his tenure, with three consecutive wins in their last three matches providing them with plenty of confidence going into the World Cup break.

Their clash away to Sunderland next Monday won't be an easy assignment for them though - and they would do well to take all three points away from Wearside considering the Black Cats' result against Millwall at the weekend.

 

 

Looking further ahead, Jon Russell could potentially be the Baggies' first signing of the January window, with the midfielder being linked with a switch to The Hawthorns yesterday and Corberan is certainly someone who knows all about him from their time together at the John Smith's Stadium.

In terms of Albion though and their existing squad, who should they look to keep? Who could be sold? And which youngster should they be looking to loan out?

We have selected three players who could be firmly involved in the Midlands side's winter transfer activity.

Keep: Alex Palmer

It previously looked as though Palmer was going to be sitting on the bench for most of the season and in fairness, that's probably something he wouldn't have been too disheartened about because the departure of Sam Johnstone pushed him up the pecking order.

That allowed him to become part of Albion's first team and that may have been enough to satisfy him during this campaign - but he has been a starter for the Baggies recently and has impressed between the sticks - something David Button hasn't been able to do at times.

His performance in their 2-0 victory away at Reading was particularly impressive and even if Corberan decides to bring in a new shot-stopper next month, Palmer is someone he should be looking to retain.

Sell: Kenneth Zohore

Zohore's time at Albion should have ended quite a while ago but the forward hasn't been able to find a new club.

Although there isn't a huge amount of depth in his department, with Daryl Dike spending much of this season out injured and Brandon Thomas-Asante still becoming accustomed to life in Albion's division, he hasn't really been involved.

And Corberan will probably look to bring in another forward during the winter window anyway, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Dane move on in January if a suitable offer comes his way.

You have to wonder who will take him though - because he hasn't had a real chance to put himself in the shop window in the past year or two.

Loan: Reyes Cleary

It's about time Cleary had the chance to prove his worth elsewhere after excelling in the club's youth system.

Although it's great to see him score for the under-23s, it's almost tiring to hear about it because his progress is crying out for a loan spell at a senior level to provide him with a real test.

He may not excel straight away at a senior level - but those harsh lessons could be the making of him and although he's only 18 - it feels like he's ready to make the next step now and he can do that with a temporary spell away from The Hawthorns.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to see him being a regular starter in the Midlands at the moment. The supporters would probably love it if he was though - because he's an incredibly talented player and has probably made himself even more of a fan favourite by putting pen to paper on a contract during the early stages of August.