West Brom must turn to Wolves for Darnell Furlong insurance | OneFootball

West Brom should target Wolves prospect as reinforcements for Darnell Furlong.

With West Brom locked in on the pursuit of a striker in this year's winter transfer window, the club could be forgetting another impending injury crisis should Albion not take the appropriate action.

West Brom's Darnell Furlong has become more than a familiar face in the Albion starting 11 and is the club's highest-capped player in the current squad.

Now in his sixth season and having played 230 games in the blue and white stripes, the Baggies' perennial player has again proved his worth for the Black Country side, missing just one of Albion's 29 Championship matches through suspension and has played every minute in those 28 games.

The full-back is enjoying another excellent spell, cementing his name as one of the toughest and most deadly right-backs in the second-tier, ranking in the top 9% for duels won and in the top 25% for chances created.

His fine form has also seen the right-back rewarded with a brand-new contract extending his Hawthorns stay until at least 2027, and has made him the estimated third-highest paid permanent player in the West Brom squad.

The former Hoops man has also been promoted to substitute skipper in the absence of struggling winger Jed Wallace and has been the significant senior leadership presence leading out the Baggies at The Hawthorns.

However, the injury to another of Albion's indispensable options, Josh Maja, has exposed the squad's lack of depth in key areas that could be a significant stumbling block in Tony Mowbray's play-off pursuit.

With no natural backup right-back in the squad, Albion could suffer a similar devastating blow should the 29-year-old suffer a spell on the sidelines, meaning reinforcements are vital.

West Brom's previous interest in Wolves' Dexter Lembikisa

Former West Brom boss, Carlos Corberan, spotted and attempted to breach the hole in the Baggies back-line last summer, with Wolves right back Dexter Lembikisa scouted as his ideal man, and Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke reported Albion made a last-ditch effort to secure the Wanderers' services on deadline day.

The club were ultimately unsuccessful in their pursuit, with the established Jamaican international heading to Switzerland for a year-long spell at Yverdon Sport instead.

But after a torrid term made up of just three appearances, the Express and Star announced the Wolves defender had been recalled early from his Swiss spell and the club are now actively looking for a move closer to home for the right back, and wish to send the defender to an English club.

Lembikisa had a taste of Championship action in last year's term. He had a six-month spell with second-tier stragglers Rotherham United, where the right-back started 22 of his 25 appearances for the Millers, but again this spell prematurely ended in January and the Jamaican joined Hearts for the final few months of the season.

The 21-year-old played 18 matches as a Hearts player and scored two goals in the Scottish Premiership, where he also experimented in a more advanced area, playing as a right-winger.

West Brom and Wolves' needs coincide in a move that makes sense for all parties

As Wolves seek to send Lembikisa for another Championship run-out, Albion have equally been offered a second chance to recruit the Reggae Boyz right-back whom they wanted only six months ago and secure his services in a deal that would mean the Jamaican wouldn't even be moving out of the Black Country.

Lembikisa would not only provide cover for Furlong, which is pivotal for the security of the former Blues boss' side, but as previously mentioned, his ability to play wider up the field in a right-wing position would provide an attacking alternative Albion are unlikely to recruit come the close of the winter window.

In the Jamaican's Scottish spell, Lembikisa ranked in the top 17% for expected assists amongst those in his position in the division, and in the top 10% for accurate long balls, both strengths that subside with Mowbray's footballing philosophy to confidently carry the ball forward and purposefully pursue to hurt teams.

From Lembikisa's perspective, Mowbray may also be the man who could help the Jamaican rediscover the form that saw the defender break into Albion's arch-enemies senior side at just the age of 19, especially considering his storied strength in developing second-tier talent.

With it being over two years since Lembikisa's last senior appearance for Wolves, and only 18 months remaining on the defender's deal, a strong second-half-of-the-season performance from the Jamaican could be vital for Lembikisa to secure his future, and prove key as West Brom seek to sustain their top six place.

It's not a deal everyone is talking about at West Brom, where fans want to see a striker recruited. Yet, it could be just as important to cover such a vital cog in Furlong.