West Brom signed free agents Erik Pieters and Tom Rogic after the transfer deadline last summer but boss Carlos Corberan is doubtful they can repeat that
The squad which is at West Bromwich Albion on the morning of September 2 will be the one which Carlos Corberan must work with until at least January after he admitted that the free agent market Albion turned to 12 months ago will likely be out of bounds this time around.
It’s almost a year since the disastrous final few hours of the summer transfer window came and went with two Albion signings waiting in the wings without those deals actually ever being rubberstamped. The failure to bring Josh Onomah – photoshoot complete and medical carried out – and Steven Alzate into the club left Steve Bruce apoplectic and, more importantly, the Baggies short in vital areas of their squad.
Albion then had no choice but to look to the free agent market, beyond the closure of the window. From there, they recruited Tom Rogic, who had left Celtic after ten years, as playmaking cover for John Swift. Erik Pieters might’ve arrived anyway, having trained with the squad for a number of weeks prior, but both players were free agents who would’ve commanded decent wages.
A year on, the picture has dramatically changed at The Hawthorns. Failure to secure promotion last year has left the club to cope with a financial black hole in the absence of parachute payment money which they’ve relied upon for years. Cloth must be cut accordingly, and much of what was once on offer to Albion now no longer is. Those types of free agent deals – because no transfer is ever “free” – will likely be off the table this time around.
