West Brom are facing a hugely important period in the January transfer window and they have to priotise the addition of a new forward to help fire them to promotion from the Championship.

Valerian Ismael’s side have managed to get themselves back in touch with both Bournemouth and Fulham following back-to-back wins against Coventry City and Reading.

That has seen them move to within three points of second place and if they can keep the distance at that sort of level then a bit of investment in January could take them to the next level.

The obvious problem for West Brom in terms of their lack of enough firepower upfront was highlighted once again for all to see in their 1-0 win against Reading last weekend. The Baggies controlled the game and managed to create numerous chances with them finishing the game with 25 attempts on goal, 11 of which were on target.

Therefore, West Brom should have ran out much more comfortable winners than they were able to do against Reading. Those types of games could come back to bite Ismael’s side at the end of the campaign because they could be at risk of being caught out and conceding an equalising goal if they do not put opposing teams to bed when on top in matches.

It is therefore highly likely that West Brom will bring in a new forward in the winter transfer window. That would especially have to be the case should Jordan Hugill make a return to Norwich City, as some reports have suggested recently.

The issue for West Brom will be who they make a move for in January. There have already been various players linked with a move to the Hawthorns and it is vital that whoever comes in hits the ground running and starts firing in the goals that they need.

Football League World believes that West Brom are now one of several sides that are interested in taking Brentford forward Markus Forss on loan in January. That comes with the Bees believed to be willing to sanction a temporary exit for the talented striker so that he can get more regular game time under his belt.

 

 

Forss has been able to demonstrate that he can be a very reliable finisher during his time at Brentford even when he has been forced to come off the bench instead of getting regular starts. Last season, the 22-year-old managed to fire home seven goals in his 39 Championship appearances last term. That is a good record considering only nine of his appearances were starts.

This season, Forss has been limited to just one start and six appearances in the Premier League for the Bees. From those limited minutes he has managed to average 0.7 shots per game and he has provided one assist. He has also managed to fire home five goals in three League Cup appearances, including the four efforts he struck in a 7-0 win against Oldham Athletic.

You could see Forss coming in and instantly improving West Brom’s output in the final third because he is someone that will finish off the sort of chances that were being missed in their win against Reading.

Having that clinical edge and composure in the last third will make a huge difference for Ismael’s side in the second half of the campaign.

Add that to the fact that Ismael proved at Barnsley his ability to coach and improve young players like Daryl Dike and Callum Styles, it suggests that going down the loan route to sign a young and talented forward like Forss might be perfect for the Baggies.