Since appointing Slaven Bilic as their new manager in June, West Bromwich Albion have experienced a fantastic start to life under the guidance of the Croatian.

Currently top of the Championship standings, the Baggies will unquestionably be looking to launch a sustained push for promotion over the coming months.

Yet whilst the likes of Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira have been able to deliver the goods in the second-tier, West Brom's strikers have struggled for consistency this season.

However, any hopes of the Baggies resolving this particular issue by re-signing Newcastle United forward Dwight Gayle in the upcoming transfer window have seemingly been crushed.

According to the Newcastle Chronicle, the 30-year-old is unlikely to leave the Magpies in January due to the club's lack of options up front.

During his loan spell at the Hawthorns last season, Gayle scored 23 goals in the Championship as he helped West Brom reach the play-offs.

With the Baggies now set to miss out on the forward, there is sure to be a knock-on effect on some of their players.

Keeping this in mind, we have selected ONE winner and ONE loser at West Brom after this transfer update...

Winner: Charlie Austin

Since joining West Brom for an undisclosed fee from Southampton in August, it is fair to say that Charlie Austin has yet to hit the ground running at the Hawthorns.

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Despite making 12 appearances in all competitions for the Baggies, the 30-year-old has only managed to find the back of the net on two occasions.

If West Brom had opted to swoop for Gayle in January, Austin may have lost his place in West Brom's starting eleven as the Newcastle forward has an excellent goal-scoring record at Championship level.

Yet with Gayle now likely to stay at St. James' Park, Austin will be determined to prove to Bilic why he deserves to lead the line for the foreseeable future.

Loser: Matt Phillips

One of West Brom's stand-out performers this season, Matt Phillips has taken his game to new heights under the guidance of Bilic.

Having already scored six goals in the Championship for the Baggies, the winger will be determined to help the club secure a return to the top-flight next May.

However, when you consider that Phillips thrived alongside Gayle last season in the Championship, he may not be too pleased by this latest transfer update.

Whilst there is no doubting that Hal Robson-Kanu, Austin and Kenneth Zohore all possess great attacking qualities, Gayle's abundance of pace compliments the way that Phillips plays and thus his return would have been welcomed by the former Blackpool man.