Matt Phillips

[not waving]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football ... y-13803401" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CleggHall]

Sounds a good 'un and fits the bill!
Just what we need.

[Longsider]

Here we go again. WBA and Burnley just don't do transfer windows.

[willsclarets]

Oh good, a West Brom player.

[TheFamilyCat]

Could West Brom sell him to someone else who we can then buy him from? It may be easier than dealing with West Brom directly.

[Vegas Claret]

we should just buy West Brom

[jojomk1]

Was my preference before Dawson and Jay Rod in summer
Much like Antonio
But can't see this happening given WBA and their current league position

[evensteadiereddie]

If we want him, we make one very fair offer and if they turn it down - which, in their position, they are bound to - we move on. Sharpish.

[Bordeauxclaret]

If we want him, we make one very fair offer and if they turn it down - which, in their position, they are bound to - we move on. Sharpish.

Spot on. We can’t afford to put all our eggs in one basket again. Hopefully they have options this time.

[Murger]

Can we not just have 1 window in which we don't deal with WBA?

[Long Time Lurker]

Hiring a fleet of JCB's to push aside the WBA difficulties, it still wouldn't make complete sense. Add to that their wayward evaluations and they will probably be asking close to Jarrods current asking price.

When Lennon returns it would give us three players that favour the right side of the pitch and Brady/Mc Neil for the left. I would prefer a predominantly left sided winger myself. Mc Neil is looking very tasty, but I'm not sure he is up to the full 90 minutes week in and week out if the situation demands it. Brady did very well for us on the right early last season, so we can cover Lennons absence on the right. A left winger with some defensive qualities could also make a transition to left back in the future, which would allow us to cover two positions with one purchase.

For cheap wingers we could look at Jordan Jones on the left and Chris Cadden on the right. £1m for either of them with an immediate loan back should secure their services in this window, barring competition. Waiting until the next window when their contracts end would require us to face heavier competition for them. Later in the window would be the best time if nobody expresses any interest before then. The same would apply to Lawrence Shankland.

I don't think any of them are ready to jump into the Premiership, but we have to hedge our bets a little. If we did drop down they would be quality players in the Championship. And if we don't, which is more likely if we continue to play like we did against West Ham, loans to Championship clubs next season would give them the opportunity to develop to the point were they are. £3m for all three of them is nothing and having a surfeit of players would do us no harm at all.

One of our big weaknesses in transfer dealings is that we are always facing a somewhat urgent "have to buy to replace" or "fill a gap" situation, because we rarely have anybody on our books coming through. This allows teams to capitalise on our urgency and desperate need. It would be nice to be in the stronger position of being able to buy without pressure or sell if we want to. A small surfeit of players would give us that flexibility and take the pressure off us.