Luke Dowling delivered for West Brom in January

Football FanCast

Exclusive: Carlton Palmer convinced West Brom did all they could in January

By Caleb Sage

Published Mar 4, 2021

Carlton Palmer assesses West Brom's January transfer window in exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer suggested his former club West Brom did all they could in the January transfer window.

During it, manager Sam Allardyce and technical director Luke Dowling were able to bring in the likes of Robert Snodgrass, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mbaye Diagne, giving the Baggies a boost in their fight for survival.

With West Brom struggling at both ends of the pitch this season, though, the Baggies could have perhaps done with further strengthening. They are one of the lowest scorers in the Premier League, registering just 20 goals in the current campaign, and have the worst record when it comes to goals conceded.

However, Palmer believes the club did what was realistically possible in the transfer market, noting the need to be financially cautious. In an exclusive interview with FFC, the former England international said:

"Well, the problem is in the position that they're in, it's always dangerous, isn't it? Do you overspend to try and stay in the Premier League? Because, you know, if you go down, you're left with a big wage bill.

"And it's not that easy, as we've seen, to get automatic promotion from the Championship, so I think it's a balancing act. And I think they would have taken that with a view when they brought Sam in.

"At the time they brought him in, obviously the wage they'll be paying Sam and the recruitment they've done, I think they would have taken a calculated gamble in what they were doing. So, you know, I think they've done as much as what they can."

Whatever the case, West Brom will believe that they can stay up. The Midlands club are currently nine points adrift of safety; however, they play 17th-placed Newcastle United on Sunday in a relegation clash that could completely change the dynamic down at the bottom.

The players can also draw confidence from having a very experienced manager in charge in Allardyce, with the ex-England boss boasting zero relegations from the Premier League on his CV, leading previous sides Crystal Palace and Sunderland to top-flight safety.