West Brom: Shilen Patel should look to Leicester City deal for January inspiration | OneFootball

West Brom loan addition in the 2018/19 season is exactly the sort of signing Albion should be looking for as they remain in the play-off push

With the race for the play-off places heating up, a repeat of one of West Bromwich Albion's most successful temporary additions who embodied the phrase "never fall in love with a loan player" is just what is needed as Carlos Corberan seeks to cement a spot.

With another bore draw at the Stadium of Light this week, January action must be sanctioned as West Brom's clasp on the play-off spots looks more tenuous than ever.

Corberan's side have now registered eight draws in their last nine outings, a string of results that makes the Baggies' brilliant beginning to the campaign extremely difficult to remember.

Having failed to score in five of those eight draws, it has become clear Albion's agony in front of goal is what is costing the side, with forward players failing to capitalise on the strong defensive foundation that has become a staple of Corberan's tenure.

Reinforcements are required and they are required urgently.

But with sustainable systems of operations now in procedure to ensure West Brom is not plagued by the financial woes that became a staple of former owner Guochuan Lai, a loan move would be the most likely in keeping with this prerogative.

However, what can give West Brom fans hope is how right things can go if proper scouting and recruitment is conducted even in the temporary market, something they witnessed in the 2018/19 season when Harvey Barnes arrived at The Hawthorns.

Harvey Barnes boomed with West Brom and fast became a fan favourite

The fast former Fox provided an energy from the outset of his arrival in the midlands of the pure hunger and desire of a player determined to play at the pinnacle of the Premier League, something his ability and performance very quickly justified.

Barnes scored nine goals and six assists in just 26 championship appearances for West Brom and was key in Albion's hotly contested promotion prerogative, seeing the midlands side to fourth place and just three points off the automatic spots in January 2019.

But what appeared too good to be true was soon proven to be exactly so with Barnes' stellar performances the very thing that would break Baggies' hearts.

After an injury to James Maddison, Barnes' parent club, Leicester, took a closer look at the performances of the winger and it turned their heads.

With a break clause included in the contract of the flying forward, all West Brom fans could do was watch powerlessly as Leicester recalled Barnes on the 11th of January 2019.

The season would sadly end with a familiar disappointment as Albion slipped out of the race for an automatic place and would be beaten by Midlands rival Aston Villa in the play-off semi-finals.

But still, questions remain to this day about how far they could have gone if Harvey Barnes had remained in the blue and white stripes for just six more months.

Barnes can be a lesson for the future in the type of profile Patel should aim for

Inspired by the success of the former Fox, Patel should look to a similar profile of the pure hunger and explosiveness only a player desperate to place in their parent club can provide.

As evident from the table above, no West Brom player has been able to replicate both the form in front of goal and creativity Barnes managed to in his midlands spell but what stands out the most is when Barnes is viewed next to Aston Villa loanee Lewis Dobbin.

The absence of impact from the 21-year-old, who has failed to impress either fans or Corberan alike, could likely make way in the winter window and return to the Villains leaving a spot on the West Brom books to fill.

Keeping in mind the profile and personality Barnes brought to West Brom, Patel could once again return to the Foxes and test the resolve of Irish international Kasey McAteer as a potential Albion addition.

McAteer matches the explosive pace that made Barnes beloved to the Baggies but would also be a strong signing to match Corberan's defensive system after already showing culpability in the top flight while he was linked with a move back to the Championship in the summer and has found opportunities hard to come by in the Premier League.

As the clock ticks counts down to the opening of the winter window, West Brom and Shilen Patel must be prepared to react to the movements of the top-flight division not only to save their season, but to make sure their play-off rivals do not get there first.