West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael is now confident he took the right decision in recruiting Brighton and Hove Albion's Jayson Molumby on loan during the previous window, speaking to Birmingham Live after seeing the Irishman in action in recent games.

The Baggies were in desperate need of another central midfielder to come in even after the signing of Alex Mowatt earlier in the summer, with Conor Gallagher, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Okay Yokuslu all returning to their respective loan clubs at the end of last term on the expiration of their loan deals at The Hawthorns.

Rekeem Harper and Sam Field also left the club at the end of their contracts to join EFL rivals Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers, leaving the West Midlands side with a very limited number of options in the middle of the park.

 

 

After missing out on Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah, who can also ply his trade in midfield despite currently operating as a centre-back for Thomas Tuchel's side, they went ahead and brought in Brighton's Molumby on a season-long loan spell in late August.

But with Mowatt arriving to be a starter under Ismael after working together well at Barnsley last term and Jake Livermore remaining as a crucial squad member as captain, the 22-year-old has been forced to wait patiently for his first appearance for West Brom.

He was an unused substitute during his first four matchday squad appearances at the club before coming on in the last three matches, but is yet to make his first start.

The Baggies' manager has been impressed by the Irishman's recent cameos, but has called on him to be patient as he waits to make his first start for the Baggies, saying: "It’s not a secret that in the ‘six’ positions we have our first choices, but it’s clear why we took Jayson.

"He has a big volume, he’s able to run everywhere and to give us more possibilities in the counter press and in the pressing situations in the second ball.

"He was brilliant when he came on, he understood everything. The last two games, to come in, have helped him and have given him the confidence.

"Now it’s a great feeling for sure, that we took the right decision with him. Now he needs to be patient and wait on his first start."

The Verdict:

You have to feel sorry for Molumby at the moment, because he would probably be starting for most Championship sides and was in with a shout of winning a starting spot in the West Midlands derby before Mowatt's recovery from his knock at Stoke City.

But with a packed fixture list and the intensity of their style of play, it's inevitable one of Mowatt and/or Livermore will be unavailable at some point during the season, giving the 22-year-old a real chance to step up and help to guide West Brom back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

You could even argue the Baggies should have recruited another central midfielder due to Quevin Castro's inexperience, but this lack of depth will only be a good opportunity for Molumby to force his way into the first team and stay there even when a usual starter returns and is ready to re-take his place.

After only making short cameos during his time at The Hawthorns, it will be a massive test for him to put in a solid 90-minute shift currently, but he will be required to maximise his performance levels if he has any chance of retaining his potential place as one of the first names on the teamsheet.

This vote of confidence from Ismael can only be a good thing for the Republic of Ireland international though, who will be looking to use this as motivation going into the Baggies' upcoming fixtures.