West Brom are facing a crucial period in the forthcoming January transfer window where they have to prioritise strengthening the squad in at least three key positions.

The recent blow over the confirmation of Kean Bryan’s season-ending ACL injury means that the Baggies are now potentially going to have to enter into the market to bring in another option at centre-back. That comes with Dara O’Shea also out for a prolonged period as well, while Brighton loanee Matt Clarke has also suffered injury issues so far this term.

Valerien Ismael does not seem to be fully convinced by the likes of Cederic Kipre or Semi Ajayi, and that means that another defender should be on the agenda to help provide the Baggies with enough quality in their back three to sustain their automatic promotion challenge.

The Baggies already needed to be focusing on adding to their options in the middle of the park. That comes with them only really having Alex Mowatt, Jayson Molumby and Jake Livermore to call upon as natural options in that are of the field.

Therefore, despite Robert Snodgrass showing that he can do a job in that area in recent weeks in the absence of Mowatt, West Brom do need to ensure they have at least one more player signed to fill that role by the end of the winter window.

There is as well the need for the Baggies to add another centre forward to their squad who can add more vital goals to the side. To that end, West Brom are being linked with a move for Daryl Dike in January, but there are concerns over whether he might prove to be beyond their price range.

Given West Brom’s need to ideally add three players in key positions in January, it makes little sense for them to be carrying a player on their wage bill that is as far down the pecking order as Kenneth Zohore.

Ismael has recently admitted to the media that Zohore could yet still have a part to play for the Baggies this season and he just needs to keep waiting for his chance to prove his worth. That comes despite the £8 million signing not making a single appearance for West Brom in the Championship since the opening few weeks of the campaign.

The Baggies shipped Zohore out on loan to Millwall last season and reports have recently confirmed that they attempted to move him on once again this summer. However, Ismael still appears to be not fully convinced over whether he should allow him to leave the club or not in January.

Zohore does deserve a lot of credit for the way he has been training hard and working to make sure that he is ready if and when needed by the Baggies. That though does not change the fact that he is not going to ever establish himself as a crucial player at the Hawthorns this term by the looks of things.

West Brom would therefore be better served being more decesive over Zohores’ future and doing all they can to move him on in January. Doing that might be able to free up some room on the wage bill to make the three important signings that Ismael’s side need in the winter window.