West Brom manager Valerien Ismael has confessed that he is not happy with the current makeup of the Baggies’ squad and accepts it could take three transfer windows to sort out.

The Baggies are facing a critical January transfer window where they have to be targeting the right additions to the squad to help them strengthen in key areas. A lack of midfield depth and issues scoring goals in the final third are the two areas that will probably most be in need of addressing during the winter window for West Brom.

Ismael was able to bring in the likes of Alex Mowatt, Adam Reach, Kean Bryan, Jayson Molumby, Matt Clarke and Jordan Hugill to bolster his first team squad during the summer. However, injury issues for some of those have limited their impact and the Baggies have not been able to perform consistently enough to keep up with the top two. 

The next transfer window will therefore be a chance for Ismael to further add to his squad and the Baggies have already been linked with moves for both Dwight Gayle and Tom Lawrence. That shows that they are on the hunt for players to bolster their options so it could be a lively January for West Brom.

 

 

Speaking to the Express and Star, Ismael has now suggested that he is not content with how West Brom’s squad is right now, but he knows that it will take another two transfer windows for that to be fully addressed. 

He said: “Generally (with the squad) I am not where I want to be – it’s clear. 

“But it can’t be from the start you have everything you want.

“It’s a process, you need two or three transfer windows.

“Now we come to the second window and we will see what we can do, how many players we can pick.

“The important thing is getting the right player.

“If it’s one, it’s one. If it’s two, it’s two. If it’s three, it’s three.

“But when you have an 18-man squad you need to keep all the players happy. They all need to be involved and have that feeling they are part of the process. You can have 25 or 30 players but at the end of the day you need that togetherness. The more players you have, the more unhappy players you have in the squad. It can go in the wrong direction and that is not what we need.

“At the minute, I think it’s more important to balance the past and at the same time to prepare for the future and why I am here.

“We knew before I came that we would need two or three transfer windows to get exactly what I what – to get the picture I want to see at the club.

“It’s a transition situation but with January we have the next chance to pick the next player to improve our squad.

“We are working on it. It’s a process and now it’s the next step.”

The verdict 

The main issue for Ismael here is whether or not West Brom are able to hand him the time he needs to bolster his squad with the right players to suit the way he wants to play. At the moment, the Baggies are six points off the pace in the automatic promotion race, and they did part ways with Darren Moore back in the 2018/19 season when they were on course not for a top two finish but for a play-off one.

Ismael has managed to implement some of his philosophy onto West Brom’s squad and there have been examples like the win at Coventry City where the high press has worked very well. However, it has been too inconsistent and in other games not been done as well and left them exposed on the counter-attack. 

There will be some who view what Ismael did at Barnsley in terms of getting instant performances from a side that was not his own. However, the Tykes’ youthful squad was more set up for the way he wants to play than the Baggies’ squad was when he arrived. 

He is right that it will take time and the right backing in the transfer market, the only issue is whether the club are prepared to be patient or whether they expect more from him.