West Brom must hope transfer gamble begins to pay-off, starting against QPR | OneFootball

West Brom will be hoping there's more to come from January signing Adam Armstrong ahead of QPR's visit this weekend.

West Brom had a frantic end to the winter transfer window, with the club sealing late deals for Tammer Bany and Adam Armstrong.

The loan move for Armstrong certainly pleased the fans, as the Southampton forward was seen as the proven goalscorer that could fire Albion to the Premier League.

However, those deals came at a cost, as boss Tony Mowbray revealed that the decision to sell reliable goalkeeper Alex Palmer to Ipswich Town was required to fund those incomings.

Adam Armstrong must start delivering for West Brom

Given Palmer’s quality, Albion need those arrivals to pay off, although patience will be afforded to Bany, who is only 21 and setting into a new league and country.

Yet, with Armstrong, it’s a different story.

The club committed a loan fee and a ‘significant’ portion of his salary on the basis that the striker can do the business over the next few months.

There’s a very real possibility that Armstrong will only wear the blue-and-white stripes for another 11 games, so it’s all about making an instant impact.

And, so far, it’s fair to say that the 28-year-old hasn’t yet found his best form for Mowbray. After finding the net on his debut, in the win over Sheffield Wednesday, Armstrong is now four games without a goal.

Of course, it’s very early days, and it’s not like the ex-Blackburn man has been awful in those recent games, but he is going to be judged on goals come May.

So, the Baggies could do with their high-profile January acquisition stepping up when they welcome QPR to The Hawthorns.

The R’s are a competitive outfit under Marti Cifuentes, but they are a side that Albion will expect to beat on their own patch, and Mowbray will need his quality players to make the difference.

Armstrong certainly falls into that category, and there will be an expectation of the player given his performances at this level over the years.

Albion got an unwanted first-hand view of how good the forward could be last season, as he scored three goals in four games against Carlos Corberan’s men, including two in the play-off semi-final. So, there’s no doubting his ability, and he has shown flashes of his talent in the past few weeks.

West Brom have the quality to win promotion

Obviously, you can’t pin your promotion hopes on one player, and there’s more than enough talent in the Albion squad to seal a return to the top-flight.

But, in a promotion push, certain individuals stand up to become the key men - which is exactly what Armstrong did last season.

He embraced the responsibility of wearing the captain’s armband on occasions for Saints, and he made some huge contributions, not least scoring the goal that took the south coast side back to the Premier League in the play-off final against Leeds.

That’s why West Brom made a big push to sign Armstrong in January, and it was why many observers felt it was the sort of coup that could prove decisive in the promotion battle.