New West Brom coach Sam Allardyce says January transfers could be crucial to Premier League survival

Newly appointed West Brom manager Sam Allardyce has said the upcoming transfer window will be crucial to the club’s chances of surviving in the Premier League this season.

Allardyce was named Baggies coach on Wednesday on a deal until the end of the 2021/22 term, replacing Slaven Bilic, who guided the team to the top flight last but was sacked hours being his replacement was announced.

West Brom had earned just one Premier League win under the Croatian this season.

Speaking to talkSPORT on Thursday morning, the new man in the hotseat at the Hawthorns said: “They [the board] are prepared to get some players, but we need to find where those players are and who wants to let a player go in this pandemic.

READ MORE: Bilic speaks for first time since West Brom sacking

“I can’t suggest at this moment how many players we need. By the time I had finished four weeks and no wins in six games at Crystal Palace, I knew exactly what we needed to do and pushed Steve [Parish] beyond the brink of really where he wanted to go, which paid off in the end.

“It will be a very important part I think and while the players here are trying their very best and had a fantastic gutsy performance at Manchester City, which I watched live on the TV, it is always good when a player sees a new player come in.

“And then sees that player on the training ground who will make them better. The difficulty is finding that player and we will have to do our best to do that.”

This is Allardyce’s first role since he left Everton after he guided them to an eighth-place finish in the 2017/18 campaign after they were embroiled in a relegation battle when he had replaced Marco Silva six months earlier.

After keeping up Sunderland and Crystal Palace in similar circumstances, the one-time England national team boss expressed sympathy for predecessor Bilic, who replaced him at West Ham in 2015.

“You always look at the job and say how difficult will it be and have you got an opportunity to try and turn it around and use your experience, which I have done on many occasions over the last few years and I only hope I can have the same influence at West Brom, with no guarantee of course, that I have had at many other clubs,” Allardyce added.

“All of a sudden you have gone 13 games with only one win and unfortunately for Slaven that is what has cost [him] and made West Brom think they need to make a change.

“I know Slaven and he is a great guy, but it is what it is when the board make a decision and I am here to try and save West Brom and keep them in the division for next season. If I can do that it would be great.”

Bilic has expressed his sadness at leaving West Brom but wished his old club all the best in their battle for Premier League survival.

West Brom are second from bottom and two points from safety, with new boss Allardyce due to face the media later on Thursday afternoon.

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PA