Darnell Furlong urges West Brom transfer action | OneFootball

Darnell Furlong has been speaking about Albion's aims for the new season

West Bromwich Albion defender Darnell Furlong has hinted that more transfer activity needs to be done to aid his side's promotion ambitions.

Speaking to local publication, the Express and Star, the full back has stated that the Baggies' ambitions of making a return to the top flight remain unchanged, although a core group of experienced players does need more players adding to it.

Ever since Carlos Corberan took over the reins from Steve Bruce at The Hawthorns in October 2022, Albion have re-established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Championship, especially when the majority of the Spaniard's work in B71 was done in spite of unrest surrounding the club.

And despite losing to Southampton in the play-off semi-finals after a fifth-place finish, those days of uncertainty are long gone in this part of the West Midlands as Albion are preparing for their first full season under the ownership of Shilen Patel, and a summer of change is set to continue throughout what remains of this transfer window.

Darnell Furlong states West Brom aims amid transfer window admission

Given the club's reputation in the second tier, it's not outlandish for the former Queens Park Rangers man to publicise West Brom's ambitions of reaching the play-off places as a bare minimum.

Regardless of those exploits, Albion bid farewell to the likes of Matt Phillips, Nathaniel Chalobah, Adam Reach and Erik Pieters at the conclusion of their contracts, whilst Cedric Kipre's immediate future looks likely to be put to bed this week, according to Sky Sports.

Therefore, Furlong has revealed that as a collective, the current squad, which has been added to with the signings of Joe Wildsmith, Ousmane Diakite and Torbjørn Heggem, needs further reinforcements.

The 28-year-old said: “It is the same target, we want to go for the highest point possible, whether that is top two or play-offs as a minimum."

“I think, if we’re speaking honestly as a group, we do need more players, we need to sign a few more," he added.

“We’ve got a lot of young lads who have not played yet, but they will play in the future. They are beginning their careers so we need a few more players in."

“The main bulk of the core players we have here have been promoted before, and the target will be the same again," Furlong concluded.

Player retention is equally as important for West Bromwich Albion's prospects

The right-back admitted that “It is gutting that we are not training looking forward to Premier League football," after suffering play-off heartbreak last season.

In a bid to go one better in what looks set to be a more open second tier campaign, it's also vital that Albion are able to fend off strong interest from elsewhere due to quality and squad depth within the ranks.

Turkish midfielder Okay Yokuslu has strongly been linked with a return to Trabzonspor in recent days. However, a fresh update from news outlet, 61Saat, claims that whilst negotiations between the Süper Lig outfit, West Brom and the 30-year-old have reached a certain point, Corberan hasn't yet confirmed his decision on the matter, which is said to be the biggest complication in this ongoing transfer saga.

Yokuslu was at the beating heart of the Baggies midfield last season, featuring in 44 of the club's 46 regular season outings, and the reason Corberan could be dwelling over an exit for the experienced midfielder may have come about after his side were one of two clubs dealt a crushing blow in their aims of acquiring Oxford United's Cameron Brannagan, who looks set to sign a fresh three-year deal at the Kassam Stadium.

Furthermore, last season's top scorer Brandon Thomas-Asante has reportedly emerged as a target for Southampton after netting 12 times in all competitions.

Despite being guilty of also missing 18 big chances, the former Salford City striker is currently one of just three centre-forward options Albion can kickstart their season with as Daryl Dike remains sidelined, with the others coming in the form of Josh Maja and Karlan Grant.

The Ghanaian saw a £2m bid from Stoke City turned down last summer, but with his current deal in B71 expiring next summer, there are only two windows available at present where the club can turn a significant profit on their initial £300,000 investment.

All things considered, Furlong is right to point out the vast array of promotion experience among his team mates, but it's clear that further depth is required for an automatic promotion bid to be sustained amid expected competition from the likes of Leeds United, Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town among others.