West Bromwich Albion are without a doubt in the fight for Championship play-off qualification this season but injuries and a lack of squad depth may put them behind a few of their rivals.
Turning to transfers in January to bolster Carlos Corberan's roster seems like the obvious option but it's not as easy as that for the Baggies. Financial issues, including tens of millions of pounds of debt, mean expensive deals simply aren't possible.
One avenue to potentially explore is the free agent market, a place that has reaped rewards for Albion in the past. John Swift, Okay Yokuslu, Jed Wallace and Alex Mowatt are just some of the recent success stories, for instance. Josh Maja could eventually come good, too.
It may come as a surprise as we're mid-season and other clubs are in similar positions to West Brom, but there are still a whole host of options out there to sign for free. Birmingham World has taken a look, finding 13 players Corberan's side could perhaps turn to.
1. Danny Rose (left-back)
The former England international of 29 caps has been without a club since departing Watford in September 2022. It’s quite the unknown how much quality he still has but if his past has anything to go by, he’d be a hard-working and experienced option. Albion need depth at left-back.
2. Yann M’Vila (defensive midfielder)
The Frenchman’s agent was contacted by West Brom, Atletico Madrid and Sunderland in the summer. Albion could look to revisit this one to bolster their midfield options ahead of the rest of the season. M’Vila has a brilliant CV having played for Inter Milan, Sunderland, Saint-Ettiene and Olympiacos.
3. Anwar El Ghazi (winger)
The ex-Aston Villa man could be slightly turned off by the fact he’d be joining a local rival of his former club but an opportunity to return to English football could be too difficult to turn down. Still just 28, El Ghazi’s most recent clubs were Mainz, PSV and Everton. His Mainz contract was terminated for sharing political views on social media.
4. Skhodran Mustafi (centre-back)
The 31-year-old is most known for playing for Arsenal between 2016 and 2021, and is a two-time FA Cup winner. Mustafi is a free agent now after leaving Levante last summer, and he was offered to Jose Mourinho's AS Roma according to reports in Italy, but they rejected it.