West Bromwich Albion could well be just two or three players away from being a side that can compete with the very best in the Championship and fight it out for promotion, Carlos Corberan's Baggies just outside of the playoff spots in the second tier on goal difference in seventh position.
Defeat to Southampton last time out was the first defeat suffered by Corberan's men since the 6th of October, winning three matches from five before the Saints got the better of them 2-1 at the weekend just gone.
West Brom could use January as an opportunity to bolster their group and add more quality, making them a more feared prospect to take on subsequently with the Baggies boldly aspiring for promotion.
Here are three dream players that would undoubtedly strengthen Corberan's side in their pursuit of a return to the Premier League…
1 Callum Styles
The current Barnsley midfielder is a man in high demand, attracting interest from a whole host of Championship suitors which includes Coventry City, Watford and Millwall alongside West Brom on top of Premier League relegation candidates Burnley and Sheffield United eyeing up the 23-year-old allegedly.
Styles' adaptability and versatility is a standout trait from the Tykes midfielder's game – adept at playing in a holding midfield role but also equally as effective further up the pitch behind the forwards as an attacking outlet- which is why there is such a frenzied level of interest in the Hungary international.
Last season, with Millwall on loan, he also showed he is still cut out for the demands of second-tier football – making 22 appearances for the Lions, netting once.
West Brom do have strong personnel centrally already, with ex Chelsea man Nathaniel Chalobah and former Leeds United player Alex Mowatt just a few options at Corberan's disposal, but Styles is still a target worth pursuing this January.
2 Ben Brereton Diaz
The Baggies could do with some firepower added to their ranks in attack, with Ben Brereton Diaz providing that clinical goalscoring edge in spades last time he was regularly playing in the Championship.
West Brom attacker Brandon Thomas-Asante has managed only five goals from 15 games, the only semi-potent striker in the squad currently.
The ex Blackburn Rovers striker could well be loaned out of the building by Villarreal or sold outright amidst a slow start to life out in Spain – the 24-year-old yet to score in La Liga from just two full starts after joining in the summer – with a Championship destination possibly on the cards to get the Chile international firing on all cylinders again.
In his final full season at Ewood Park, the ex-Rovers star-man would manage 14 goals in total before Villarreal came calling. Could Brereton-Diaz be tempted for a short-term return to England with West Brom?
3 Nesta Guinness-Walker
This third and final transfer shout might well not come in and instantly start for the Baggies, but Guinness-Walker is certainly one for the future at Reading to keep tabs on.
With the situation behind the scenes with the Royals tumultuous to say the least – ownership issues resulting in points deductions for the League One team this season leaving them submerged in a relegation dogfight – Guinness-Walker will be tempted to walk away from the club with Reading willing to offload their young full-back for cheap too possibly.
Linked with the ex AFC Wimbledon man in the summer, the left-back hasn't quite performed this campaign for his current employers to the highest standards possible but there's potential for the 24-year-old to blossom into a capable defender for the Baggies if he was signed.
With a lack of competition present for Conor Townsend's left-back spot at the Hawthorns currently too, Guinness-Walker could provide that friendly in-squad rivalry if signed.
