New West Brom owners must prepare transfer shortlist as Brandon Thomas-Asante update emerges
West Brom are feeling the effects of an injury crisis right now, particularly up front where Carlos Corberan has found himself short of options at The Hawthorns.
Albion were never blessed with particular depth in the centre-forward position, but they are now down to their barebones after Josh Maja joined Daryl Dike on the treatment table, leaving Brandon Thomas-Asante as the only recognised option.
However, Corberan may be set to lose his last striker in January, with reports emerging that Thomas-Asante has decided to declare for Ghana and could well be included in the Black Stars squad for this season’s African Cup of Nations [Owuraku Ampofo, 20 December].
The tournament hosted in the Ivory Coast will run between 13 January and 11 February and Ghana are expected to progress into the latter stages, meaning the 24-year-old could be set to miss almost a month of Championship action.
Throughout the tournament, West Brom are in action in five Championship matches and it seems completely inconceivable that Albion can leave Corberan without a recognised striker for that many games and still have hopes of reaching the playoffs this season.
The Baggies boss is already frustrated with the options at his disposal at The Hawthorns, even when Thomas-Asante is fit and available so he is unlikely to be thrilled by the news he’ll lose his centre-forward as well.
It has become clear that under Guochuan Lai, Corberan will not be given money to spend in the January transfer window as was the case in the summer. But there is a possibility that a new owner could be in place just in time.
The Express & Star have reported [13 December] that West Brom are reportedly closing in on a takeover, speculating that a new owner could arrive in West Bromwich in mid-January.
If this deal is completed as anticipated, the new owners at The Hawthorns must move to immediately fund the purchase, or loan of a new centre-forward so that the Baggies avoid a crisis at the start of 2024.
Plans should already be being drawn up by those in charge of who could be signed or available in the new year so that those plans can be put straight into action as soon as a takeover is confirmed.
Otherwise, West Brom can leave behind any hopes of finishing in the playoff places this season as without Thomas-Asante they will have no fit and reliable centre-forward, which may only add to Corberan’s frustration.
Hopefully, everything will go off without a hitch and Albion will have the cover required to build upon their good start. If not, it could be a long second half of the season.
In other West Brom news, Adrian Goldberg has suggested that any new owner at The Hawthorns will be unable to “splurge” in the transfer window