Carlos Corberan can be forgiven for growing rather anxious with less than a month to go until West Bromwich Albion kick off their Championship campaign away at Blackburn Rovers.

The Baggies have lost captain and key player Dara O'Shea to Burnley, while a number of others – Jake Livermore, Rico Richards and Tom Rogic among them – have departed since the end of last season.

Who have West Brom signed?

Corberan clearly needs to replenish his squad, but Albion have yet to bring in any new faces this summer. Rather worryingly, reported targets are also few and far between.

Indeed, according to Birmingham Live, more outgoings can be expected soon as the Baggies continue to adapt following the end of their Premier League parachute payments.

Grady Diangana is one of those reportedly being eyed up by Championship rivals, Southampton being among them, but the Express & Star reports Albion will not be forced to sell on the cheap.

Should West Brom keep Grady Diangana?

Diangana scored four goals and assisted a further three in 31 Championship appearances for West Brom last season. At a rate of 0.33 goals and assists per 90 minutes, as per FBref, the former England U21 international ranked fourth among Albion players in that metric, behind John Swift (0.42), Daryl Dike (0.60) and Tom Rogic (0.61).

That perhaps explains why just 39% of West Brom supporters said they would keep Diagana at The Hawthorns this summer in a recent Birmingham Live poll. Diangana has his qualities and can provide moments of "magic" at times, according to journalist Graeme Brown, but Albion fans clearly feel they can find an upgrade in that position.

Furthermore, Dike's return to Albion's training base this week ensures West Brom will not be as reliant on wide man Diangana next season. Dike scored seven goals in 23 league appearances last season, with that return of 0.52 goals per 90 minutes the best of anyone at the club.

The United States international was struck down by an Achilles injury in April that cut his season short, but he appears to be ahead of schedule – or at the very least on track – in his bid to return to action within six months of that untimely setback.

If Albion can get Dike back up and running by October, it will significantly boost their chances of challenging for a play-off spot under Corberan, just like they did after the ex-Leeds United assistant took over from Steve Bruce with the club lingering towards the foot of the table last season.

Dike is valued at £4m by CIES Football Observatory and was described as an "unbelievable" player by second-tier veteran Neil Warnock, who also argued the American was the Championship's best striker when making those comments in April 2021.

While Dike is on the comeback trail in the hope of boosting West Brom's promotion aspirations, Diangana's future is far less clear. Albion could do with keeping hold of as many players as possible at the moment, but the Congo-born winger may be deemed surplus to requirements if Corberan can find that elusive replacement out wide.