West Brom could sign £1m-rated “huge talent” to improve Thomas-Asante’s fortunes

West Bromwich Albion have had a solid season so far under head coach Carlos Corberan but a run of three winless games has put the Baggies at risk of falling out of the top six with another poor result.

A number of players have picked up significant injuries, including star winger Matt Phillips who has been ruled out until mid-April, having recently undergone surgery on his hamstring.

As such, West Brom aren’t fully clicking up top at the moment, but there could be a perfect solution in January to get the Baggies firing once more.

West Brom transfer news – Kwame Poku

West Brom are one of several clubs who have been left impressed by Peterborough United playmaker Kwame Poku and could look to make a move for the Ghana international once the January transfer window opens in less than two weeks. TEAMtalk are claiming that promotion rivals Sunderland and Ipswich Town are also interested in signing the 22-year-old.

In West Brom’s recent 1-1 draw with Stoke City, Corberan admitted that he wanted more from his wingers, having failed to create many chances from the wide areas with Jeremy Sarmiento and Grady Diangana in the lineup from the beginning.

The managed admitted: “It was enough times we received the ball to our wingers and we could’ve created something else and it’s true that it was [substitute] Tom Fellows and [Jed] Wallace the two players making more crosses than Grady and Sarmiento, who were playing on the sides. So for me, we should have created more from every single winger that was playing on the pitch.”

No player has recorded more assists for the Baggies this season than Phillips and it’s clear that Corberan is missing the 32-year-old’s quality on the flanks. However, Poku would potentially fill the Englishman’s void at the Hawthorns.

Kwame Poku’s stats this season

Poku has had an excellent season on the wing for the Posh in League One as Darren Ferguson’s side make a push for a return to the Championship and currently sit second in the third tier, with Poku being a key player for the side, having started in 18 of Peterborough’s 21 league games this season.

His superb form hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere. During his stint with Colchester United, former manager John McGreal admitted that the then-teenager was a “huge talent”.

Now, Poku is one of the most productive players in League One. Only Jordan Rhodes, Alfie May, Devante Cole and Sam Hoskins have recorded more goal contributions in the league this term. Meanwhile, the Ghanaian has the joint-highest number of assists in the third division with six.

In all competitions, Poku’s numbers sit at eight goals and eight assists in 27 matches so he is currently contributing to 0.59 goals per game which is an impressive return for a winger.

Additionally, Poku can play anywhere across the front three, including both flanks and as a number ten. This would allow Corberan to be flexible with his team selections, but Poku will most likely be deployed out wide given his knack of creating chances for teammates.

West Brom need a player like the Posh forward this winter to get the best out of first-choice striker Brandon Thomas-Asante. The 24-year-old is the Baggies’ top scorer this season with seven goals in 21 matches.

Regardless, the ex-Salford City striker has underperformed his xG of 6.5 by scoring six league goals in the 2023/24 campaign, according to FotMob. One of the reasons for this is the lack of service up top. West Brom have created 17.9 expected assists, which is the eighth-lowest in the league and the lowest in the top six by quite some margin.

Given his ability to score and create chances, compounded by the fact that Football Transfers have valued him at just over £1m, signing Poku could be an astute bargain by the Baggies to improve their form at the top end of the pitch.