"Consider his options" - West Brom summer transfer tipped for quick January exit | OneFootball

The Italian has failed to find his feet since his move from Juventus to the Hawthorns before the start of the season

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…

West Bromwich Albion have plenty of decisions to make over the next few weeks of the transfer window, although with no manager currently in place at the Hawthorns, big choices are likely going to wait until a successor to Carlos Corberan has been appointed.

The Baggies were said to have been in talks with Raphael Wicky about taking the job in the Black Country earlier this month, before a late twist saw the 47-year-old drop out of contention to take over the Championship side.

Former boss Tony Mowbray is said to still be in the running to be considered back at his old post, having been in charge of Albion between October 2006 and 2009, although any decisions are yet to be finalised almost a month after Corberan’s departure for Valencia.

Meanwhile, players may well be coming and going at the football club, and in terms of those heading out, we spoke to Football League World’s Albion fan pundit Callum Burgess about the most likely to wave goodbye to the Hawthorns in the next few weeks.

Gianluca Frabotta tipped for January West Bromwich Albion exit

Amid all the uncertainty regarding the next person in the dugout, Albion continue to keep pace with those in the play-off picture this season, with a sturdy defensive line seeing them maintain their competitive edge near the top of the table.

Only Leeds United, Burnley and Sheffield United have conceded less goals than West Brom heading into the weekend’s action, with a solid structure providing the base for all that is positive right now, with goals proving hard to come by at the other end of the pitch.

In the wider areas of the defensive line, Callum Styles and Torbjorn Heggem have proved invaluable in covering the left side, leaving summer arrival Gianluca Frabotta on the outskirts of the squad, and Burgess is of the mind that the Italian could well be plotting a way out of the Midlands in the coming weeks.

When asked who is most likely to be leaving the club this month, the Albion fan said: “It wouldn’t surprise me if someone like Gianluca Frabotta would be keen to make his way out of The Hawthorns this month after his lack of playing time.

“He wasn’t included in the squad away at Bournemouth at the weekend, and he probably would have earmarked that as an opportunity where he would be able to get some very rare game time.

“He has been limited to very few appearances this season, with his only start coming against Fleetwood in the Carabao Cup at the very start of the season.

“Since his move from Juventus, he probably would have thought that Albion was somewhere where he could get consistent game time, and he is at the stage of his career where he is going to want to be playing every week.

“I don’t think he will be happy just watching the season pass by and seeing Callum Styles and Torbjorn Heggem ahead of him in the pecking order is probably making him consider his options.

“So, if there was a player in my mind who would be eager to leave the Hawthorns in the next month or so it would probably be Frabotta.”

Gianluca Frabotta’s West Bromwich Albion could be over before it has begun

As Burgess eluded to, Frabotta has failed to make a name for himself in his new surroundings this season, and in a career that has only seen him make just a handful of league starts by the age of 25, questions will need to be asked about his suitability at the club going forward.

The defender is said to have signed a three-year deal with the club in the summer, meaning his current contract doesn’t elapse until the end of the 2026/27 campaign, leaving Albion facing the prospect of having a player on their books for the foreseeable future who is unlikely to get much game time as it stands.

While it may be too early to right him off completely, a loan move away from the Baggies this winter could be the perfect opportunity to prove himself once given regular game time elsewhere, with a run of matches under his belt likely to prove just what he can do if given the opportunity under any incoming boss.

As it stands with the uncertainty in the dugout, Albion are ill-placed to be making any big decisions regarding their players right now, but if anyone is going to depart, Frabotta could well be at the front of the queue.