Sky Sports pundit delivers verdict on Ryan Porteous as West Brom prepare for January transfer push
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Campbell has backed West Brom to sign Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous as Carlos Corberan prepares his squad for a hectic end to the season.
According to the Scottish Sun, West Brom are one of six English clubs chasing the signature of Hibs defender Porteous in January, with Watford, Norwich City, Stoke City, Sunderland and Millwall all providing competition.
The 23-year-old, who scored against Rangers as recently as this week, has been a star performer for the Scottish outfit this season.
His contract runs out in the summer, but after Porteous turned down their latest offer Hibs could be tempted to cash in on him in January.
With the Baggies preparing for a six-way transfer battle, Campbell insists signing Porteous would give Carlos Corberan some much-needed squad depth ahead of a hectic end to the season.
Speaking exclusively to West Brom News, Campbell said: “I think going into Scotland is a smart move. There’s usually a lot of talent up there that sometimes gets overlooked.
“Porteous – I’ve seen him play a couple of times – he’s a real decent player. Good, aggressive, strong and can play out from the back.
“The key to everything is having the squad because all you need is a couple of injuries to key players and you leave yourselves open. Corberan and West Brom are not going to put themselves in that position – he’s going to try and strengthen everywhere he sees fit
“It’s a long second half of the season. It’s a long time now, all the way to the end.“
After racking up four consecutive wins, Corberan may not feel he needs to rock the Albion dressing room with too many signings in January, but Porteous’ current situation is hard to ignore.
He’d add some great defensive depth to a Baggies side that was forced to field Erik Pieters at centre-back against Sunderland this week.
With Kean Bryan also recently suffering a fresh injury Corberan will be urging the West Brom board to get the deal done as soon as possible.
In other West Brom news, Danny Cowley is hoping to keep hold of ‘mature’ Josh Griffiths despite a January recall option