Why Birmingham City defeat highlighted need for West Brom to push for Carlos Corberan favourite in summer transfer window: Opinion | OneFootball

West Brom put in a disappointing display on Friday night when they lost 2-0 to Birmingham City and they have ended the weekend outside of the play-off places.

Whilst it can’t take away from the brilliant job that Carlos Corberan has done with the Baggies, the manner of the defeat was a reminder that they still have a lot of work to do to finish in the top six.

Nevertheless, even if they fail to go up this season, the future does look bright for Albion under Corberan, although it would be beneficial if new owners come in.

Whatever the outcome of the promotion push though, Corberan will hope to put his own mark on the squad in the summer after a relatively quiet January.

One man who was linked with a move to The Hawthorns was Nottingham Forest’s Lewis O’Brien but that move didn’t happen, with a deal to join Blackburn also falling through.

Therefore, the midfielder has remained with Forest but he has failed to make the 25-man squad, indicating he has no future at the City Ground.

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So, a summer switch is inevitable and it would be natural for rumours to resurface about Corberan wanting to be reunited with a player who was key for him at Huddersfield Town.

And, O’Brien could be exactly what Albion need.

The defeat at Blues highlighted a lack of cutting edge and whilst the attacking players should have done more, O’Brien would be able to offer more in helping the side build the play.

Like Jayson Molumby, his game is about energy and he will cover every blade of grass, but, unlike the Irishman, he does offer more in possession in terms of progressing the play.

O’Brien would be a constant threat with the way he travels with the ball and he can help increase the tempo with his intensity and the way he passes quickly.

You would imagine many will follow Blues’ template of sitting deep and soaking up pressure so it’s important that Albion have different tools to open up a defence – and they do have multiple threats, from Daryl Dike’s physicality to the individual quality of Jed Wallace among others.

West Brom are in a good position overall but the defeat last time out shows that there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Bringing in O’Brien, a player that Corberan knows and rates, would solve another issue and he would add more quality to the Baggies, whether they are in the Championship or the Premier League next season.