West Bromwich Albion have been making a push for promotion back to the Premier League for the first time in three years under Carlos Corberan but the side have been quite inconsistent in recent weeks.
The fire from the Baggies' back-to-back wins over Norwich City and Leeds United over Christmas was quickly extinguished following a 1-0 away defeat against relegation-threatened Swansea City on Monday.
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To add insult to injury, West Brom have lost a star man this week but could look to dip into the transfer market to rectify the loss and the club should definitely reignite their interest in one special attacker from Portugal.
West Bromwich Albion transfer news – Jeremy Sarmiento
It was confirmed by the club on New Year's Day that loanee Jeremy Sarmiento has returned to Brighton and Hove Albion, having spent a half-season at the Hawthorns.
It was believed that Brighton's recent injury crisis in the forward areas was the reason behind the Ecuadorian's return to the south coast, however, reports on Tuesday morning revealed that the Seagulls are willing to allow Sarmiento to go back out on loan, this time to West Brom's promotion rivals Ipswich Town.
Sarmiento's time in the Midlands didn't quite go as planned. The 21-year-old became a mere squad player under Corberan and averaged 35 minutes per game throughout the campaign. Overall, the youngster made 21 appearances for the Baggies, including 20 in the Championship, but this was spread across a total of 737 minutes in the team.
The biggest worry for the head coach will be his lack of depth in the wide areas as the experienced Matt Phillips has been ruled out until April at the earliest, while Grady Diangana will now head off on international duty with the DR Congo to compete in the African Cup of Nations.
As a result, the club must try to sign a new winger before the January window closes and one player in particular could be the perfect fit.
Tiago Gouveia's stats this season
One player West Bromwich Albion have been linked with in the past is Benfica attacker Tiago Gouveia. It was reported by The Telegraph's Mike McGrath during the summer transfer window that the Baggies were keeping tabs on Gouveia as Corberan was keen to bolster his attacking department, although a move never came to fruition.
However, given the recent loss of both Sarmiento and Diangana, reigniting interest in the 22-year-old would make a lot of sense from West Brom's perspective.
Gouveia has made eight appearances for the Liga Portugal champions this season, including three in the UEFA Champions League, but has played just 185 minutes in total for Benfica, which comes to about 23 minutes per appearance.
Nevertheless, Gouveia's career stats with Benfica and Estoril are quite impressive too as the winger, who can play on either flank, has recorded 28 goal contributions in all competitions since the beginning of the 2019/20 season. His most prolific position has been on the left wing which is the area that West Brom need to fill the most.
Position
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Right Winger
33
8
6
Left Winger
26
10
2
Right Midfielder
3
0
1
Left Midfielder
3
1
0
Second Striker
1
0
0
Stats via Transfermarkt
Furthermore, it has been reported that Tom Fellows could leave the Hawthorns this month, which could be yet another blow to Corberan and his side's hopes of promotion, but in 16 appearances this season, the Englishman has failed to register a single goal or assist. Furthermore, since the start of the 2019/20 season, Fellows has bagged 27 goal contributions for West Brom, none of which have come since taking the step up to the first team.
Gouveia could then represent something of an upgrade on the Englishman, having notably recorded 11 goals and assists in the league last season, as well as providing 11 big chances, while Fellow, meanwhile, has created just two 'big chances' since returning to the first-team fold this summer – having failed to score and bagged just two assists in League Two with Crawley Town in 2022/23.
Even if only a loan deal was possible, the £3m-rated gem could help temporarily plug a gaping hole in West Brom's forward line, buying Corberan time until next summer.