West Brom coach Garner urges club to make new signings

Rob Conlon
Salomon Rondon: Striker West Brom's big summer signing

Salomon Rondon: Striker West Brom's big summer signing

West Brom coach Ben Garner insists the club cannot rest on their laurels and need to strengthen in the January transfer window.

The Baggies currently sit 12th in the Premier League after investing relatively heavy in the likes of Solomon Rondon, James Chester and Jonny Evans over the summer.

But Garner has warned that the club could fall behind their rivals unless they continue to improve the squad.

“Every window is important for a club like ours. You’ve got to try and improve,” he told the Express & Star.

“Whether that’s two players, three, four, or five, you need to improve on what you’ve got.

“That’s not being disrespectful to the players we’ve got, its evolution. We need to improve the team and the players that are here need to rise to that as well.

“We want players that are going to take these [existing] players forward and challenge them to make them better.”

Garner previously worked with current West Brom manager Tony Pulis at Crystal Palace, and – despite the January window generally regarded as a poor time to sign players – witnessed firsthand the impact mid-season recruits can have.

“I’ve seen it before when Tony was at Crystal Palace. He signed some really good players,” he added.

“Scott Dann, Joe Ledley, Wayne Hennessey; Jason Puncheon was a loan made permanent. Those players really took that team to another level and I think that’s what we need to do here.”