Former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer thinks Steve Bruce would have been against the idea of the Midlands club bringing in a technical director.

West Brom currently have no immediate plans to recruit one, and Palmer believes Bruce possibly had a say in that decision.

Is a technical director completely out of the picture?

For now, it looks that way, with Baggies CEO Ron Gourlay recently confirming that hiring one individual specifically to act as the bridge between the manager and the board is not on the agenda.

"The way we are structuring the club going forward, it’s not in the immediate plans to appoint a technical director," the former Chelsea and Reading chief executive told the Express & Star.

"We will assess the situation as we move forward but it’s not a priority at the moment," he later went on to add.

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What has Palmer said about West Brom's decision not to hire a technical director?

Palmer has been critical of the role technical directors actually play and is convinced Bruce did not want one at The Hawthorns.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT on the subject, the ex-West Brom star said: "I'm yet to know what a technical director does; I still don't get it. Obviously if they've asked Steve Bruce if he wants a technical director, I'm sure Steve Bruce has said no."

What does it mean for Bruce?

Bruce signed an 18-month contract when he replaced Valerien Ismael as West Brom manager at the start of the month, meaning he should be in charge of the Baggies for next season and the next two transfer windows.

With no technical director around and Gourlay making it clear that Bruce has been handed the role of manager rather than head coach, you would imagine that the 61-year-old will have a pretty big say when it comes to player recruitment.

For now, though, Bruce's sole focus will be getting West Brom back into the play-off spots. They have really dropped off in recent weeks, hence Ismael's sacking, finding themselves outside of the top six and miles away from Bournemouth and Fulham in the automatic promotion places.

Considering that, the Baggies will be desperate to have January signing Daryl Dike fit again, with Bruce confirming that he is making good progress in his recovery from a hamstring injury.

The American striker scored nine goals in 19 games during his last stint in the Championship so is the kind of player you want available if you are chasing promotion.