West Brom to target key position in summer transfer window

West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce has admitted they will be targeting creative midfielders in the summer transfer window if he’s still at the helm at that point, speaking to the Express and Star.

The Baggies have struggled in front of goal so far this season and that has arguably been the key factor in their downfall, scoring just 45 times in 41 league matches in what will be a huge disappointment as they look set to fail in their quest to get back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Contrast that to their defence that has also looked vulnerable at times recently – and they have only conceded 40 goals this term – conceding at a rate of less than a goal per match.

Although their inability to take chances has hampered them at times, especially under Bruce’s predecessor Valerien Ismael, the latter’s style of play has also been called into question with a severe lack of quality in the final third apparent at times.

Albion moved to address their goal shortage with the £7m signing of Daryl Dike earlier in the window, also recruiting Andy Carroll when the United States international was ruled out through injury.

With that, Bruce’s focus has now turned to the midfield.

He said: “Defensively we are sound enough. I think it’s fair to say we have to be a bit more creative.

“We have to score more. That’s no disrespect to what we’ve got, but we have to add a bit of balance and flair to the squad because we need it.

“We need to find a couple of midfielders who can be a bit more creative.”

The Verdict:

It does feel as though they are missing a creative spark and if Bruce wants to play a 3-5-2 formation for the long term, he needs to have creative players to supply the likes of Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson.

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