West Bromwich Albion continued their resurgence last night with a fine victory over Sunderland, propelling them ever further away from the dreaded relegation zone that they sat in under Steve Bruce.
Things are looking bright under the new leadership of Carlos Corberan, and now that significant pressure has been alleviated perhaps, he could look towards January to further bolster his squad.
They do only sit a wholly surmountable eight points off the playoff spots with a game in hand.
Finances were strict in the summer, with Bruce having to mastermind free transfers to plug the necessary gaps.
To his credit, he managed to add seven new faces whilst only spending £1.1m, and his team are now reaping the benefits of a new system.
What has underpinned their recent success is a solid defence, with 23-year-old Dara O’Shea at the heart of it.
Do West Brom need Ryan Porteous?
Now, reports are suggesting that it could be further reinforced with a move for Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous.
Alongside the Irishman, the two could hold down the back line for many years to come, with Corberan hoping to repeat the successes that nurtured their young defender into the mature competitor he is.
The 23-year-old has impressed in his homeland, but manager Lee Johnson is now resigned to losing his star man after he rejected “the best contract we could offer”.
Former Hibs boss Jim Duffy has since touted the defender at an achievable £500k price tag.
That has put many Championship clubs on red alert, with the Baggies set to battle with at least five other clubs in their division for his signature.
There is a reason why he is so sought-after, with Johnson putting it rather succinctly when he claimed: “If I was a manager in the Championship, and I have been in the past, he is the exact type of player I would be looking at.”
This season the centre-back has boasted a 7.29 average rating, whilst maintaining 1.3 tackles and 3.6 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
However, what makes him a valuable asset for this level is his distribution, as the 6 foot 2 colossus averages an 80% pass accuracy alongside 1.2 key passes per game.
Craig Gordon is clearly in awe of his stature and ability for someone so young, as he claimed: “He was really composed on the ball, he threw his body in when he had to.
“Not only was he a great defender, but he was good on the ball for us. He brought the ball out and what a real composed, confident first game for him.”
Alongside O’Shea, who too averages 2.0 interceptions, 1.0 tackles and 3.4 clearances per game, there could be an insurmountable defensive pairing brewing at the Hawthorns.
Having conceded once in their last four Championship games, snatching this deal in January could be imperative in their aspirational promotion push.
