West Brom may now hold a Championship-leading claim over Leeds United & Sheffield United | OneFootball

Late transfer window deals have put Tony Mowbray's side in an enviable position

The loan arrivals of Adam Armstrong and Will Lankshear in the January transfer window to West Brom have put the rest of the Championship on notice.

27-year-old Armstrong was one of the standout players in the entire division last season, netting 24 and adding 13 assists as he played every game en route to winning the Championship play-offs with parent club Southampton - including scoring the only goal in the final against Leeds United.

Even this season, despite Southampton's struggles, Armstrong's presence in the starting 11 week in, week out, led many to feel shocked when it was announced that he was to leave the Saints on loan until the end of the season.

Will Lankshear has also arrived from Tottenham, giving the Baggies and boss Tony Mowbray further fire-power. He boasts an incredible youth scoring record and made headlines earlier this season when he scored and then was subsequently sent off in the Europa League against Galatasaray for the first-team.

Either striker would have been a big pick-up for a side chasing the title, as both can find the back of the net with ease, with Armstrong especially proving he can do it at this level.

But it was West Brom who managed to secure the short-term services of Armstrong and Lankshear, and with their arrivals adding to a squad which already boasts Josh Maja, Karlan Grant and Daryl Dike, many will be questioning whether the Baggies have one of, if not the, best strike-forces in the division.

West Brom add Adam Armstrong & Will Lankshear to an already dangerous attacking unit

Signing Armstrong and Lankshear adds plenty of excitement to a West Brom attack which isn't lacking in goals this season.

Before he picked up a long-term leg injury, Josh Maja netted 12 goals in 26 Championship games, proving himself to be one of the top number nines in the division, and whilst Karlan Grant has been deployed in wing positions, attacking midfield as well as up top, he has still contributed six goals this campaign.

Amid his injury struggles, USA international Daryl Dike hasn't played yet this season, and has appeared in just four Championship games since the start of the 2023/24 season due to a severe achilles injury, but may be in contention for a return soon, and that will give Mowbray a different dynamic to think about.

When compared with Leeds United's strikers, Joel Piroe, Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford, who have 16 league goals between them, you'd have to say that West Brom's current attacking crop holds the edge in terms of overall quality, and that's before you incorporate their new signings.

Sheffield United's striker department pre-January also boasts inferior stats to that of Grant and Maja, with Rhian Brewster, Kieffer Moore and Tyrese Campbell scoring 13 between the three of them as we move further into February.

Leeds' goalscoring comes from across the squad, especially with their wide options as Manor Solomon, Dan James, Willy Gnonto and Largie Ramazani are all chipping in.

They didn't add to their options in the central attacking areas this past month though, but promotion rivals Sheffield United did, bringing in Ben Brereton Diaz once more loan and splashing out on Leicester City front-man Tom Cannon.

That also gives United claims of having the best attacking unit in the Championship too, but when you weigh up all the avenues when everyone is fully-fit, you'd still be hard-pressed to argue against West Brom.

With West Brom reporting in mid-January that leading-scorer Josh Maja will be out for "several weeks" following his lower leg injury sustained in their 1-1 draw at Swansea, it may be a little while before the full attacking compliment can be on show for West Brom.

Tony Mowbray has opted to play a 4-4-2 formation in recent weeks, and prior to the 2-1 win over Sheffield United, he's opted for a pairing of Grady Diangana and Jed Wallace up front - two players who are more comfortable operating from wider positions.

Against Wednesday though, Mowbray returned to a 4-3-3 with Armstrong leading the line, but last season for Southampton he often figured out wide or in a supporting role off the main number nine, which means when Maja is back from injury, it gives the Baggies boss more flexible options on what to do with his squad, with Mikey Johnston and Tom Fellows two other star attackers that will be expecting to start regularly out wide to supply the embarrassment of riches.

With Dike returning to action soon, as well as Lankshear waiting in the wings for his first start, it'll be interesting to see how Mowbray goes about his business and how the minutes are shared out, but they certainly will not be short of goals for the rest of 2024-25, and the new signings will only bolster their play-off credentials.

West Brom currently lie in fifth spot, but are 17 points removed from the top two, something that seems like it will be incredibly tough to overcome in the final 15 games of the season.

The Baggies boast the best defensive record of the sides vying for what you'd assume to be the final two play-off spots up for grabs, and have lost the fewest games too, but it's yet to be seen if the loss of Alex Palmer in-between the sticks to Ipswich Town will affect this.

Having said this, the loss in goal should be overshadowed by the attacking prowess which Tony Mowbray has in his locker now with the signings of Armstrong and Lankshear.

That attacking depth may prove too much for the other sides battling for those final two play-off spots, especially when Josh Maja makes his return, and it could even put them in good stead to upset whichever sides finish third or fourth to claim a place in next season's Premier League.