The January window is generally dominated by struggling teams who need to make some panic signings, so it will be interesting to see what West Brom do next month.
They have plenty of deficiencies that need to be fixed, but they also have to face up to the reality that proven Premier League performers won’t be available and even if they were they probably won’t be interested.
That leaves them in a situation where they need to take a chance on someone who is impressing at a lower level and needs to step up, or they can look at potential signings who have impressed in the past but are starting to falter.
Issa Diop certainly falls under that second category after an impressive start to life at West Ham, but he’s struggled to get into the team this season and HITC have indicated that Big Sam is looking to bring him in.
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They even suggest that he was valued at £60m in the summer of 2019 when Man United were circling, but he’s obviously not going to cost that much now and a loan move would be the most likely option.
He’s still a great prospect who does have all the tools to be a top level defender – he’s fast, strong, dominant in the air, defensively solid and he’s decent on the ball.
He is still young and he’s had issues with consistency and looking a bit raw at times, so a temporary move could give him the chance to develop further and the added pressure could either make or break him.
It’s not clear if West Ham would actually want to let him go, but he’s the kind of player who could make a big difference for West Brom if the move goes through.