West Brom manager Valerien Ismael has admitted that a new centre forward is a priority for his side in the January transfer window.

The Baggies were once again left frustrated in front of goal on Friday night, as they were held to a goalless draw by relegation threatened Barnsley.

While Karlan Grant has nine league goals to his name this season, no other Baggies player has found the net more than four times in the Championship since the start of the campaign.

As a result, it seems Ismael is now clear of the importance of adding some extra attacking firepower to his side once the market opens again at the turn of the year.

In the wake of that stalemate with Barnsley, Ismael was asked about whether the game was proof that the Baggies need to sign a striker in January.

Responding to that, the West Brom boss was quoted by The Express and Star as saying: “I didn’t have to wait for the game tonight.

“It’s been many weeks now that our target is clear in the front position. It is a reality that you need to score goals to win games. You need the player who is able to score goals.

"We have KG (Karlan Grant), we have Robbo (Callum Robinson), but we need more support, more impact to make sure we can win games. We have to do something on one of the front three positions."

Indeed, it seems that is a deal Ismael is keen to get done quickly, as he added: “We’re trying everything. It’s clear that it’s better if you can get a player in as quickly as possible and not wait until the last minute because we have so many games. We need to do something quickly.”

West Brom are next scheduled to be in action on the 27th December, when they are set to make the trip to Pride Park to face Derby County.

The Verdict

It is hard to argue with Ismael's assessment of West Brom's striker situation here.

In comparison to the rest of the club's in the hunt for an automatic promotion place, the Baggies are lacking a prolific goalscorer this season.

As a result, adding at least one more option in that position next month, feels key to their hopes of securing a return to the Premier League during the current campaign.

This therefore, may be seen as an encouraging admission for the Baggies, given Ismael seems so keen to get this issue sorted as quickly as possible.