West Brom: Devante Cole call could boost Tony Mowbray's striker warchest | OneFootball

With Albion in the market for a backup striker, Devante Cole could prove key to financing a fee as his lack of match action continues.

As Devante Cole's West Brom woes continue, Tony Mowbray could look to use the struggling striker to finance a move for another option, with the Baggies searching for a way to adjust to life without their star striker.

Since his summer move to West Brom, Cole has failed to find his feet at The Hawthorns and leave a lasting impression on the Baggies collective.

He has been a persistent presence on the Baggies bench and has been deployed sparingly within a cameo capacity, making just 12 appearances in the blue and white stripes thus far.

The former Tykes man has played just 122 minutes in a West Brom shirt, the lowest of all Albion's senior attackers, and as the season surpasses the halfway mark, Cole is still yet to see his name on the starting team sheet, a concerning feat considering the lack of depth in the Baggies forward department with Daryl Dike remaining on the sidelines.

Karlan Grant, whose fine form has mostly been enjoyed within the left wing area, has been preferred to Cole as a foil to Albion's Super Eagle sensation Josh Maja, and even with the news of the latter's lengthy spell on the sidelines, Cole could not find his way onto the pitch against Stoke until the 91st minute despite the deadlocked scoreline, and was looked to for just the final 13 minutes in their last outing versus Middlesbrough.

Without the impressive exploits of Maja for the foreseeable future, Albion have no choice but to address their lack of firepower in the forward department, ranking only 12th in the scoring charts this season, a shortcoming Cole has not been looked at to solve.

Cole could still have plenty of admirers after previous goalscoring form

With West Brom set to dive back into the winter window in their search for a Josh Maja substitute, Cole could still be invaluable to Shilen Patel and Mowbray, with the forward able to fund a fee for a replacement.

Cole's previous pedigree in the English third division could see him curate a queue of interested parties both for a return to that segment of the English footballing pyramid, or even within the lower second tier, as Cole's consecutive surpassing of his xG could tempt clubs looking for a clinical forward able to feed off minimal service.

With an estimated weekly salary at £7,500, the struggling striker remains in the financial capacity for second and third tier interest and Albion can demand a notable fee for the forward with 18 months remaining on his contract.

Even if this was to be only on a temporary spell, the salary saved could equally fund a move the other way for a better suited striker and would place Cole in the shop window come the opening of the summer market.

Albion have already demonstrated an intent to bring in reinforcements

With West Brom already in the midst of their striker search, an added forward to the squad could quickly leave Cole surplus to requirements by the time Maja and Dike's lengthy sideline spells come to a close, especially with Chris Brunt revealing the latter's return to training and lust to quickly return to match action.

Brunt told Birmingham Mail: "He's champing at the bit, he's raring to go, you're almost having to calm him down because he's so eager to get back involved.

"That's credit to him because the amount of serious injuries he's had, it's devastating for anybody, but to be fair to him he's cracked on with a smile on his face and got back to a decent place."

Albion have also already demonstrated an intent to add ammunition to Mowbray's arsenal within the winter window, with reports the club were seeking to secure the signature of Iraqi international Ali Al-Hamadi from top-flight strugglers Ipswich Town, but the East Anglian Daily Times announced the move had broken down with Albion unable to secure his services.

Baggies have also seen their name linked alongside both Leeds United and Norwich City for the signature of 23-year-old striker Willem Geubbels, with Sky Sports News' Lyall Thomas reporting the three clubs are vying for the signature of the St Gallen's goalscorer on a temporary term.

Although none of Albion's interest has yet resulted with an attacking addition to Mowbray's squad, the prospect of a new striking option only pushes Cole further down the forward food-chain.

With West Brom already suffering without their prolific number nine, the club have dropped out of the top six and must find a fix and fast should they hope to retain a play-off place come the business end of the season, and Cole could prove important in funding it.