According B.B.C News. West Brom’s free agent options: £13m Leicester City man and ex-Newcastle United star available amid injury issues.
West Brom are battling with a defensive injury issue, but they may fix it by going to the free agency market.
West Brom presently has three centre back options out due to injury.
During the pre-match news conference, Carlos Corberan stated that Semi Ajayi, Paddy McNair, and Kyle Bartley would be out for an extended period. Ajayi is sidelined until February, while McNair will return in late December, at the end of his loan period. Bartley may return at the end of November or mid-December.
It leaves West Brom without three centre-backs, so Corberan will have to find a solution. He indicated that Torbjorn Heggem and Mason Holgate might fill the post. With the defence forced to rearrange due to injuries, Ousmane Diakite and Gianluca Frabotta might fill in the gaps.
There is one additional option to consider: checking into the free agency market. As we approach the quarter-way point of the Championship season, it’s important for players to stay up-to-date, even if they haven’t played or trained with the team.
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West Brom have 24 registered senior players, as of the September EFL squad lists. If WBA wishes to register a free agent, they will have one additional slot available.
The following are five possibilities for West Brom to examine.
Erik Pieters
The Baggies let Pieters depart over the summer. He was on trial with Championship rivals Luton Town, but the move did not happen. Pieters was mostly a left-back until transitioning to centre-back later in his career.
The 36-year-old played 61 appearances for the Baggies and has plenty of top-tier experience. He’s familiar with Corberan and the group, so a short-term contract until January might benefit all sides.
Filip Benkovic
Despite being signed by Leicester City for an estimated £13 million, he did not succeed there. He has had loan spells with Celtic, Bristol City, and OH Leuven. Benkovic joined Udinese and had loan spells with Eintracht Braunschweig and Trabzonspor before being released by the club in August.
Benkovic may not have had much experience in England, but being paid £13 million at one time in his career suggests there is a decent player in there someplace. The Croatian defender was successful in Scotland, winning the triple.
Paul Dummett
At the age of 33, he is a free agent after spending the most of his career at Newcastle United. He was connected with a move to Portsmouth, but it did not happen. With 151 Premier League appearances and five Wales caps under his belt, he may be a viable alternative.
Crystal Palace released him this summer, and he has been without a club since. He has spent the most of his career in the Premier League, with 386 club appearances to date. Tomkins was a member of the West Ham team that won the Championship play-offs in 2012, so having someone with experience would be beneficial.
Ciaran Clark
Clark spent much of his career in the West Midlands, playing with Aston Villa. He made 159 appearances for the Villains before moving to Newcastle United in 2016. He has primarily played in the Premier League, but he also helped the Magpies achieve promotion in 2017 and has previously played for Sheffield United and Stoke City. Clark was restricted to three games last season, so he’d have to show his health.
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