Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Brian Deane is confident that West Brom will challenge for promotion under Chris Wilder if they end up hiring him.

Wilder is being heavily linked with the West Brom job, with the Mirror recently reporting that the 53-year-old is the Midlands club's No.1 choice to replace Sam Allardyce.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Mirror (via Football League World) claims Wilder has already identified his first transfer target for the Baggies in Newcastle United's Dwight Gayle.

Ultimately, with Wilder at the helm, Deane is expecting West Brom to be among the candidates to go up.

"I think if you look at the West Brom squad, they've got a very well-balanced squad," the ex-Sheffield United striker said. "They've got a lot of pace, lot of mobility in there.

"They're obviously going to be challenging. If Chris does go there, then he's got a good squad to mould."

While there are already some strong sides in the Championship, such as Swansea City and Bournemouth, who both fell short in the play-offs, West Brom should fancy their chances under a coach like Wilder - a coach who has won Premier League promotion before.

Bringing in a forward who is so prolific in this division like Gayle will also drastically boost their chances.