West Bromwich Albion midfielder John Swift wants his side to remain in the top six for the vast majority of the 2022/23 campaign, speaking about this ambitious aim to the Express and Star.

The 26-year-old, who achieved two top-half finishes during his time at former club Reading and came within 90 minutes of Premier League football during his first season at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, arrived at The Hawthorns this summer with the aim of getting himself to the top flight.

Although the Royals will be desperate to get themselves back to the top tier at some point, they are unlikely to achieve this aim in the short term with the Berkshire outfit finishing in 21st last term.

As well as this, they have lost some of their key players this summer including Swift and are being forced to operate within an EFL business plan throughout this upcoming season, limiting what they can do in the transfer market this summer and during the next winter window.

Albion, on the other hand, have recruited the likes of Jed Wallace and Okay Yokuslu in recent months, with both having the ability to guide Albion to a top-six finish at the end of 2022/23.

A finish in the play-offs is a minimum expectation for Swift, who wants to demand even more of his teammates as he sets his sights on automatic promotion.

Speaking to the Express and Star, he said: "The club will always want to be pushing for promotion.

"We can’t be dropping out the top six. We want to stay up there all season. And hopefully we can be one of the top two. But we all know the Championship, it’s such a hard league to win.

"Nobody really knows who is going to be up there and who is going to be down there before the start of the season. It’s a tough league. But we have got a quality team."

The Verdict:

It will be difficult for Albion to retain their place in the top six all season but they should certainly be pushing for promotion considering the signings they have made.

Wallace, Swift and Yokuslu wouldn't look out of place in the top flight, so it would be surprising if the trio didn't have a major impact on the first-team squad, with the Baggies already having several top-quality existing options at their disposal.

Daryl Dike and Karlan Grant could be a lethal combination during 2022/23, with the likes of Conor Townsend and Dara O'Shea likely to be important figures at the back with the experience they have.

However, there are a number of departments that need to be looked at to give themselves the best chance of sustaining their place in the promotion mix, even when injuries and suspensions come into play.

A left-back, a central defender, a potential alternative to Swift and a striker should all be on their target list at this stage - because their work in the market isn't done yet despite a very good start.