West Bromwich Albion boss Steve Bruce has claimed the Baggies' ability to be clinical in front of goal will be defining for their 2022/23 campaign, speaking to the Express and Star after yesterday's clash against Blackburn Rovers.

The West Midlands side could potentially count themselves unlucky to have come away from Ewood Park without a point or three, having had more shots and more possession than their league rivals in Lancashire.

This has summed up their previous 12 months, with the Baggies failing to be clinical enough and also lacking quality in the final third at times as well, especially under Valerien Ismael when they played a direct brand of football.

Conceding just 45 league goals last season but only scoring 52, their attacking record cost them the chance of reaching the play-offs and the latter figure will be particularly disappointing for them considering they scored four against Sheffield United and Cardiff City during the early stages of the campaign.

They have moved during the transfer window to try and address that issue with John Swift and Jed Wallace arriving on the expiration of their deals at Reading and Millwall, though they have failed to bring in a forward just yet.

And with Daryl Dike and Kenneth Zohore currently out injured, that is a real blow for them going forward. Bruce believes their goalscoring record, with or without the duo, could be crucial in their quest to be in the promotion mix throughout this term.

He said: "We had a header from a corner from which we should score.

"It’s a frustration we’ve had for a while, since I’ve been at the club – how do we score?

"It’s going to be key to our season."

The Verdict:

At this stage, it doesn't seem as though they have enough going forward with their injuries and current lack of strikers.

Although Callum Robinson can operate up top, he may not be able to be their main talisman and Grady Diangana has struggled in recent seasons too, so they need the likes of Dike and Karlan Grant to be fit for as much of the season as possible.

Swift and Wallace are two very smart signings and should provide them with a fresh injection of firepower, but at least one striker will be needed between now and the end of the window to provide more quality and depth in that department.

They should be looking to target other areas though, with another midfielder potentially needed following the loan exit of Alex Mowatt, with more depth at centre-back also needing to be on the agenda as well as a left-back.

Their defence may not have been in bad shape last season - but they will suffer if injuries start to take their toll in the backline and this is why Bruce needs a sufficient number of options in each position.