West Bromwich Albion legend Ally Robertson has called for the club to prioritise attacking reinforcements during the summer transfer window. 

The lowdown: Blunt Baggies

Under the stewardship of Valerien Ismael and more recently Steve Bruce, the Baggies have struggled to score freely throughout the course of the 2021/22 campaign.

Currently sat in 12th in the Championship standings, eight points adrift of the play-off places, West Brom have scored 45 goals in 41 matches so far - less than every club above them in the table aside from Milwall.

Robertson believes that the departure of creative midfielder Matheus Pereira to Al Hilal has been the biggest factor in the decline of attacking flair at the Hawthorns...

The latest: Pereira 2.0 needed

Writing his column for the Express & Star, the 69-year-old suggested that the disastrous defeat to Stoke City revealed where Bruce must strengthen at the end of the season.

“They were compact and organised and difficult to break down. But we didn’t have anyone who could make something happen. We didn’t have anyone who could change the game.

“And the truth is we haven’t had that player ever since Matheus Pereira left. Adding more flair to the squad is absolutely imperative this summer. I think we need more creativity in central midfield and also in the forward positions. We need players who are better on the ball and who make better runs.”

The verdict: Spot on

There is a genuine dearth of creativity in the West Brom ranks at present, with the likes of Grady Diangana, Adam Reach and Matt Phillips all struggling to fill the void left behind by Pereira. The Brazilian creator finished the 2020/21 Premier League season with 17 direct goal contributions from 33 outings, whilst summer signing Diangana currently has just two goals and one assist from 37 second-tier appearances.

With striking firepower such as Andy Carroll, Daryl Dike, Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson all in situ in the Midlands, getting the right players in behind could see the Baggies become a much improved attacking force next term.

In other news, pundit discusses future of West Brom star. Read more here