Joe Roberts

Tue 27 June 2023 17:45, UK

In an interview with the club, Baggies boss Carlos Corberan has revealed the profile of player he wants to bring to the Hawthorns for their upcoming Championship campaign.

The former Huddersfield Town manager has identified four criteria for new signings, stating that every player must meet these requirements.

This follows the departure of highly-rated center-back Dara O’Shea who departed the club for newly-promoted Burnley for a reported £7 million, who Corberan called “a very, very special player for this club.”

“It’s not easy to find…”

West Brom’s goal for next season will be a return to the Premier League. Following their relegation in the 2020/21 season, the West Midlands side haven’t managed to reach the playoffs with 10th and 9th place finishes in their past two Championship seasons.

But Corberan’s identification of the required player profile will give West Brom fans some hope that the new season could be their best since relegation.

He identified “quality” as one of his criteria. He said: “To be a football player and a West Bromwich Albion player you have to have quality, but in this club the supporters like their team to be dominant and to be protagonists with the ball.”

Dominant football has proved successful in the Championship. Vincent Kompany guided Burnley to a Championship title last season with quality and dominant football previously unseen in their recent history. If Coberan can replicate this, then West Brom could reap the benefits.

He also noted that desire is key to a player’s profile. “They need to have ambition and desire to improve and help their team improve. I want them to have the desire to give their best for the fans and for the club,” Corberan said.

West Brom have been criticised last season for lacking desire and struggling to see matches through, including dropping two points to Queens Park Rangers in April in a vital match that would have helped them secure a play-off position.

A change in mentality amongst the players would hopefully see the Baggies win these types of fixtures.

Corberan continued by highlighting the need for new players to come into the club with energy to compete in the league.

Finally, he emphasised the need for personality.

“This season, having big personality is going to make a massive difference because we are going to play in some very, very big stadiums against tough opponents,” Coberan said.

“You need to have the personality to show the desire, the skills, the energy and ambition that you have.”

However, West Brom may struggle to bring in this required talent. The turmoil of their ownership does not do much to help their transfer policy, with many fans wanting current chairman Lai Guochuan out of the club.

This follows his controversial financial decisions at the club including taking a £4.95 million loan from the club, which is yet to be repaid.

While he is reportedly willing to sell the club for £60 million, nothing is concrete yet.

Furthermore, West Brom’s current transfer priority is outgoings, according to the Express and Star, meaning it may be a while before fans see such players at the Hawthorns.

In other West Brom News, Leeds United could make a swoop for the Baggies boss.