West Bromwich Albion finally ended their prolonged search for a new manager yesterday as they opted to hand over the reins to Valerien Ismael.
As confirmed by the club's official website, the Baggies have appointed the Frenchman on a four-year deal after paying a compensation fee to Barnsley.
Having defied all expectations by leading the Tykes to a play-off place in the Championship last season, Ismael will be confident in his ability to achieve a relative amount of success at the Hawthorns.
However, in order to have the best chance of sealing an immediate return to the top-flight in 2022, it is imperative that Ismael gets his recruitment spot on between now and August.
With preparations for the upcoming campaign underway, the 45-year-old could be about to bolster his squad if recent reports are anything to go by.
[gmsStartingEleven url="https://givemesport.starting11.co.uk/2019-11-14/"]
According to The Athletic, West Brom are reportedly eyeing up a swoop for Barnsley midfielder Alex Mowatt who enjoyed a fruitful spell under the guidance of Ismael last season.
Despite the fact that his current deal expires later this month, the midfielder has yet to agree to fresh terms at Oakwell and thus is set to be available on a free transfer.
It is understood that whilst a number of Championship sides have expressed interest in signing Mowatt, West Brom are leading the race due to the presence of Ismael.
No stranger to life in the second-tier, the midfielder has made 216 appearances at this level during his career and was a stand-out performer for Barnsley during the previous campaign.
As well as providing seven assists for his team-mates, Mowatt netted eight goals in 46 league appearances.
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
This would be a shrewd move by West Brom if they can convince the midfielder to join the club as he has illustrated in recent years that he is more than capable of thriving at this level.
Having averaged an impressive WhoScored match rating of 6.93 in the second-tier last season, Mowatt could potentially add a new dimension to the Baggies' midfield which will need revitalising when Okay Yokuslu's loan spell comes to an end next week.
Providing that the former Leeds United man is able to adapt to life at the Hawthorns, there is no reason why he cannot go on to play a major role for the club who will be targeting a push for promotion during the upcoming campaign.
Furthermore, Mowatt's arrival may force the likes of Romaine Sawyers and Jake Livermore to step up their performance levels which in turn could have a positive impact on West Brom's fortunes.
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