“By the scruff of the neck” – West Brom told to seek repeat of Watford, Giorgi Chakvetadze deal | OneFootball

Baggies fan pundit Callum Burgess says Albion must focus on recruiting a ball-carrying midfielder in January, similar to Watford’s Giorgi Chakvetadze.

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...

With the January transfer window continuing to progress, West Bromwich Albion remain on the lookout for their first signing of 2025.

The Baggies are still in the process of recruiting a new manager since the departure of Carlos Corberan to Valencia back in December, so transfer activity has been light so far in the Black Country, but it is expected to ramp up when targets are identified to match the incomings coaches’ ideas and philosophies.

Albion remain in the hunt for a play-off spot come the end of the season, with the caretaker spell of Damia Abella, Chris Brunt and Boaz Myhill keeping them in the frame for a possible return to the Premier League as we go over the halfway stage of the campaign.

West Brom will be looking to inject some fresh blood into the group to push themselves further up the division and cement a promotion-contending spot, and our Football League World West Brom fan pundit has offered advice on what position the West Midlands outfit should be looking at in the January market.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Baggies fan pundit Callum Burgess has outlined his thoughts on how Albion should approach the January transfer window, with a central midfielder a priority that can add a different dimension and attributes to the rest of the senior figures in this area.

Burgess said: “I definitely think Albion would benefit by signing a midfielder who is a different type of player to those that we currently have in the squad. For example, (Ousmane) Diakite is a ball-winner and flat-out number six, (Jayson) Molumby is our box-to-box, while (Alex) Mowatt is our central midfielder who can keep things ticking over and progress the ball up the pitch.

“I think what Albion’s missing most is a ball-carrying midfielder who can take games by the scruff of the neck. I can’t earmark one from the top of my head, but if we could find someone like Giorgi Chakvetadze at Watford, as he has probably been the best player we’ve played against this season.

“Unfortunately for us, he would be out of our price range, and he’ll be someone picked up by a Premier League club or from a top five league division side very soon I’d imagine, but if Albion could find the next Chakvetadze, then the club would be looking at making a massive return on how much they originally pay for him, as I think he’s one of the best players in the division, so I hope in either January or in the summer we can find someone with a similar profile and playing style.”

Midfield a key area for West Brom to improve

While West Brom possess some very good midfield options at Championship level, they don’t have someone in the position who can weave their way through several challenges and create chances for the number nine or score goals themselves, with all the other options they currently have being hard workers, but not particularly carrying much flair or star quality on a consistent basis.

Watford’s Giorgi Chakvetadze was a menace when the Hornets faced off against the Baggies at Vicarage Road with his pace, direct running and ability to glide past players, and Albion would receive a huge boost to their promotion ambitions if they had a similar player occupying their midfield in the blue and white stripes.

While the Baggies still find themselves in pressing financial difficulty, if they can find the funds to recruit an attacking midfielder with similar attributes, then opportunities will become even more frequent for the likes of Josh Maja, and goals at the top end of the pitch would almost be a guarantee, helping to keep the Baggies competitive and rise up the table past some of their rivals.

January is an important time to recruit players who can help make or break a season, so controlling shareholder Shilen Patel must show his ambition in the early stages of his tenure and find a more creative source in the middle of the park.