West Brom urged to replicate Mikey Johnston, Celtic deal as January looms | OneFootball

Our West Brom fan pundit told us what he'd like to see from his club in the January transfer market

This article is part of Football League World’s 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Brom have been told to utilise the loan market in the January transfer window after enjoying success with Mikey Johnston's loan move from Celtic last season.

Johnston joined the Baggies on a short-term deal in January last season, helping the club reach the play-offs and performing so well that the club made his stay at The Hawthorns permanent in the summer.

It proved the perfect loan deal, and given the number of permanent signings they made in the summer, West Brom have been told to supplement those players with shrewd loan moves in January in a bid to help the club battle for promotion.

Our West Brom fan pundit, Callum Burgess, believes that Johnston's loan switch last season shows how beneficial moves like that can be, and believes that Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers could have further players the Baggies could sign, as well as young players from top Premier League clubs.

Speaking to Football League World, Callum said: "With the amount of signings that took place in the summer transfer window just gone, I’d probably predict that January will be a quieter transfer window.

“I think it might be somewhere where Albion take advantage of the loan market.

"We took advantage of it last year, bringing Mikey Johnston to the club late in the transfer window, and he had a really big impact, showing the benefits of waiting for the moment when the right player becomes available, and it can have a big impact on your team's season.

“The season prior, we tried to take advantage of Premier League’s youth teams. In that case, it was Omari Hutchinson, but an error on Chelsea’s end in their pursuit of Enzo Fernández meant that the deal fell through.

“Taking advantage of the loan market, particularly with teams like Celtic and Rangers who might have players who aren’t playing every week could come in and do a job.

“Also, in the Premier League, from teams like Chelsea, Man City, clubs who have really good youth academies and players on the fringes who could come in and have a big impact on the rest of the season.”

Quite often, in January, there are players who are desperate for a loan move after struggling for playing time at their clubs during the first half of the season, and they are keen to get out and make an impact, like Johnston last season.

The Baggies already have four players on loan, with Carlos Corberan clearly understanding the value of loan players, and it's a good way to supplement your squad with quality players who are looking to prove a point, or even experience first-team football for the first time.

If West Brom continue their good start to the season, they'll be competing at the top of the table come January, and they'll be looking for reinforcements to help sustain this run of form and give depth to allow Corberan to rotate his squad.

Johnston's loan move last season was an example of just how beneficial loan moves can be in January, and West Brom should be looking to recreate that again in a bid to bolster their squad in an attempt to win promotion to the Premier League.