Lewis Cox shares West Brom transfer plans following Jeremy Sarmiento return to Brighton and Hove Albion
West Brom have the funds to bring in attacking reinforcements for Jeremy Sarmiento in the January window, according to journalist Lewis Cox.
Albion announced on Monday (1 January) that Sarmiento’s season-long loan switch from Brighton and Hove Albion has been cut short.
Cox later revealed the Baggies are looking for two attackers before the window closes, despite the club’s perilous financial situation.
In a follow-up message on his personal Twitter account [1 January], Cox said: “Wage funds in place to do something, probably (& more easily) a loan, before this.
“Now funds will be freed up from Sarmiento’s return. It doesn’t stop the overall squad’s wage bill having to come down, but the summer is around the corner.”
Move quickly
Losing Sarmiento is a real blow for Carlos Corberan as the winger played in 20 of West Brom’s opening 25 Championship matches this season, starting seven of those.
Albion’s squad is not the largest anyway, so a replacement needs to be found as soon as possible.
This recall was always a possibility, so let’s just hope possible replacements have already been lined up.
The takeover situation does not help, with the club surely not in a position to make any permanent signings.
As Cox says, the wage bill must come down, although a number of players will be out of contract in the summer anyway.
If a player of similar quality to Sarmiento can be brought in on loan from a Premier League club, that would be ideal.
Corberan will then want a second attacker signed, so Albion’s transfer department will have to pull some strings.
For now, Corberan will have to make do without another important player in a key period of the campaign. The sooner Sarmiento’s replacement is brought in, the better.
In other West Brom news, a man crucial to the takeover has been pictured at The Hawthorns.