Birmingham Live journalist Joseph Chapman has revealed that it's 'likely to be a quiet few weeks' at The Hawthorns in terms of potential January arrivals, after the marquee signing of forward Daryl Dike.

The United States international arrived at The Hawthorns on New Year's Day following transfer links to numerous strikers, with the Baggies looking to solve their goalscoring woes as they have failed to be anywhere near clinical enough in front of goal this season.

This signing perhaps came as a bit of a surprise to some after seeing the West Brom board not fork out a single penny on permanent deals during the previous transfer window, but dug deep to find £7m to bring in 21-year-old Dike after seeing him thrive under manager Valerien Ismael at Barnsley last term.

 

 

However, this outlay isn't thought to be a sign of things to come in the coming weeks in the West Midlands, with journalist Chapman reporting that the club potentially sees the arrival of their new forward as their 'significant piece of business' this term.

The Birmingham Live reporter also added that potential further signings may depend on who heads for the exit door, bad news for Albion fans who want to see more additions made in their bid to get back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Players that have been linked with a departure in recent months include star goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, midfielder Robert Snodgrass and rarely-used forward Kenneth Zohore, potentially providing hope that more incomings could be on the way before the deadline.

The Verdict:

Things can change very quickly and this is why the promotion chaser's fans shouldn't be too despondent at this point - but it does feel as though they have spent the vast majority of their budget on Dike and this is why they may leave themselves short in other areas.

The centre-back position is one they may have ideally wanted to address with Kean Bryan out for the remainder of the season and Dara O'Shea still recovering from his own setback, though the potential return of the latter at some point may provide just about enough depth at The Hawthorns to cope.

An unavailability crisis in this position could cause a few problems though, so they will need to keep an eye on that.

The same could be said for the central midfield position with Taylor Garnder-Hickman needing to step into an unorthodox role alongside Alex Mowatt against Coventry City last month - and with Snodgrass potentially on his way out if a team are prepared to take him off their hands - a replacement or two will be needed there.

Ideally, two replacements would arrive as options in the middle of the park and that's something they may be able to make happen with a few loan spots still to fill up and the 34-year-old likely to clear a hefty salary off their wage bill if he goes.