We asked AI which three January transfers West Brom should make - it picked these Ipswich and ex-Watford stars

The January transfer window is well underway, and clubs up and down the football pyramid have been wheeling and dealing in their first opportunity to do so since last summer.

It's been rather a quiet one for West Bromwich Albion so far this month, with no new signings arriving and no exits to speak of either. This is probably fair enough, given that the club still haven't managed to find a successor to manager Carlos Corberan, who left the club on Christmas Eve to join bottom of La Liga side Valencia.

However, the Baggies still look to be plotting some transfer business behind the scenes. The club were said to have made a bid for Middlesbrough's Isiah Jones, only for the Guyana forward to choose a move to Luton Town instead. West Brom have also been linked with a move for Rangers full-back Adam Devine, while there has been some Premier League interest in Josh Maja.

As Baggies fans wait patiently for the club to get some deals over the line, we began to ponder whether the powers of AI could be used to determine their best transfer options in the January transfer window. After all, the rapidly growing technology is said to be coming for all our jobs - we humble football writers will most likely be redeployed as fawning personal assistants to our robot overlords - so we might as well give it a bit of work experience.

Given the simple prompt to inform of us of the three players West Brom should sign this month, our AI tool of choice crunched the numbers in a matter of seconds, providing us with a trio of potential signings.

Who was picked as West Brom's number one transfer target?

Remember that bloke who went viral for one of the worst missed penalties of all-time last weekend? Yep, it's Ipswich Town's Ali Al-Hamadi. Justifying its pick, the robot’s transcript read: "West Brom has been relying heavily on Josh Maja for goals this season, and with Daryl Dike returning from injury, adding another striker like Al-Hamadi could distribute the scoring burden more evenly.

"Al-Hamadi's previous impact at Ipswich, where he helped in their promotion campaign, suggests he could be effective in the Championship. His lack of playing time this season at Ipswich could make a loan move feasible, providing West Brom with a proven goal scorer in the latter half of the season."

So far, so good. This seems a reasonably logical pick, given that the player is on the fringes of the Tractor Boys' squad. While AI notes that he has helped in a promotion campaign before, it's worth noting that he only scored four goals in 14 appearances that year, joining the club midway through the season.

A 14-cap Iraq international, Al-Hamadi came through the Swansea City youth academy, before signing his first professional deal with Wycombe Wanderers back in 2021. He spent time on loan with Bromley, before enjoying two excellent seasons with AFC Wimbledon in League Two, scoring 27 goals in 48 appearances. This saw him snapped up by Ipswich in January 2024, where he's so far netted five times in 23 outings.

Interestingly, a report from The Athletic last summer revealed that a host of Championship clubs were in the running to sign Al-Hamidi on loan, but didn't actually name the Baggies as an interested party.

Which other players should West Brom sign?

Now then, this is rather fascinating. As AI scoured the web for a solution at breakneck speed, it appears to have stumbled upon our article on Football Manager's predicted West Brom transfers. Copying homework from another AI system? Well, well, well. Poor effort, foolish young robot.

Brimming with glee at its discovery, AI informed us that AEK Athens winger Roberto Pereyra would be a lovely bit of business for the Baggies, and contended: "Pereyra brings a wealth of experience from high-level competitions, including the Premier League with Watford, Serie A with Juventus, and international experience with Argentina.

"His versatility to play in midfield or as a winger could be invaluable. Given West Brom's need to bolster their squad for a promotion push, Pereyra's experience, leadership, and ability to perform under pressure could make a significant difference in crucial matches."

Well, at least it didn't opt for Football Manager's most bizarre pick for West Brom to sign - a move for relatively unknown, 35-year-old Japanese goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda.

Moving on, AI redeemed itself with a pick based on a relatively legitimate transfer rumour, picking Chareroi defender Stelios Andreou, who was linked with a move to the Hawthornes back in the summer. Giving its verdict on the 22-year-old Cyrpus international, who was also said to be on Cardiff City and Stoke's respective transfer radars, AI proclaimed: "With Paddy McNair's loan ending at the end of December, West Brom will need to reinforce their central defence.

"Andreou, a Cypriot international, was linked with West Brom previously, suggesting interest in his capabilities. His experience in the Belgian league could translate well to the Championship, providing both depth and quality in defence, especially with West Brom's aim for promotion."

So there we have it - AI has determined which three players West Brom need to sign this month. Given that it merely picked two from pre-existing transfer rumours and one it somehow nicked off our Football Manager simulation, we've been left a little underwhelmed by its suggestions

However, credit where credit's due, it did give some relatively sensible justifications for its picks. That said, we're certain the Baggies' scouting team can sleep easy tonight safe in the knowledge that the devious machines can't match their recruitment expertise - for now.