West Bromwich Albion secured their first signing of the upcoming summer transfer window on Thursday as they announced the capture of John Swift from Reading.

Now that they have one deal confirmed for the summer, the Midlands club and Steve Bruce can move on to other areas of the squad that they feel may need strengthening.

Looking at the defence, despite making 39 appearances in the Championship this season, Kyle Bartley is currently the oldest centre-back in West Brom's squad.

With the 31-year-old's current contract at The Hawthorns set to expire in the summer of 2023, the Baggies could well look to sign a long-term replacement for the Englishman this summer.

One figure with whom West Brom have been linked recently and who could fit this bill is Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Having spent the 2021/22 season out on loan from Tottenham Hotspur again, this time securing the Scottish Premiership title with Celtic, the centre-back showed how formidable a defensive unit he can be.

With 43 interceptions and 22 tackles to his name in the Scottish top flight, the American ended the season with the highest average of clearances per game (4.2) in Ange Postecoglou's squad.

Bartley 2.0

Taking into account how Bartley ended the campaign with the highest average for clearances per game (four) in West Brom's squad, this highlight how similar the defensive duo are in that regard.

Described by Celtic full-back Greg Taylor as a player who has "got all the tools", as well as being called a "huge" part of why the Hoops were so successful this season, Carter-Vickers reportedly has a price tag of £6m.

His overall league performances for Celtic earned him a season rating of 7.36/10 from WhoScored, which would have made him by far the highest-rated player at The Hawthorns by the same metric.

Even though Celtic are reportedly and rather unsurprisingly looking to turn Carter-Vickers' loan deal into a permanent move, the Baggies should definitely jump in and try and convince the defender to make a return to England and help to take West Brom back to the Premier League.

If the Midlands club are able to bring the 24-year-old to The Hawthorns, he could well go on to become an ideal long-term replacement for Bartley given his clear defensive talents.

In other news: Bruce can save WBA millions by unleashing "explosive" prodigy, just imagine him & Dike