West Brom should capitalise on Crystal Palace development to replace Jeremy Sarmiento | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion have seen winger Jeremy Sarmiento cut his loan spell in the West Midlands short and jet off to fellow promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town and that's left a gaping hole in their attacking ranks in the January window.

The Baggies loanee was hyped as one of the more exciting signings of the summer upon his move from Brighton; the South Coast side have made a knack of developing young talent from South America in recent years, with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Pervis Estupiñan, Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro, and Julio Enciso all proving to be outstanding players for the Seagulls.

Sarmiento is on the same path and the Ecuador international will likely hit big things in the future but whilst his tenure wasn't overly impressive, West Brom still have a gap to fill.

They could do so by signing rising Crystal Palace star Malcolm Ebiowei - and the club need to move quickly if they are to bring the former Arsenal, Chelsea, and Derby County youngster in with multiple EFL teams interested.

Malcolm Ebiowei transfer latest

According to Football Insider, Ebiowei is set to leave the club on loan in the January transfer window with plenty of EFL clubs having made their interest known in the winger. Ebiowei has yet to crack Palace’s star-studded lineup this season with the likes of Ebere Eze, Michael Olise, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, and Jordan Ayew to contend with, though he has made the bench nine times.

A fruitful spell at Hull last season saw the 20-year-old get a taste of consistent first-team minutes for the first time since he joined Palace from Derby in the summer of 2022, but with his development likely to stall if he doesn’t head somewhere on loan in the coming weeks, it’s a deal that would work for both parties.

With three-and-a-half years left on his contract, the youngster isn’t going anywhere permanently anytime soon and so a move to The Hawthorns could be good for him.

Why West Brom would be ideal for Malcolm Ebiowei

With Sarmiento departing the club after making 20 appearances, he'll be missed in the West Midlands even with his output likely falling below the Championship club's expectations.

It leaves Jed Wallace, Grady Diangana, Adam Reach, and Matt Phillips as the only realistic stars who can play out wide, alongside youngster Tom Fellows - though the Baggies may know it's unrealistic to rely completely on a 20-year-old to fire them into a confirmed play-off place.

Reports have suggested that Corberan wants two new forward additions after Sarmiento's exit. It is thought that Bristol City's Andi Weimann could be one and Ebiowei represents a good choice for the other.

Whilst Wallace and Diangana would be the regular starters for the club out wide, the Palace youngster would bring a youthful, pacey approach to a contingency that is technically excellent but perhaps not the quickest.

A real threat in transition, Ebiowei would be a superb addition to most Championship sides and he would only improve with increased game time - particularly under a coach like Corberan.

He adds that bit of unpredictable brilliance and dynamism that West Brom have lost after Sarmiento's exit and would make sense as a target for the Baggies given their financial constraints.