West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan says he is pleased with the rebuilding of his squad as he looks to challenge for promotion to the Premier League this season.
Albion currently sit second in the league table after winning three and drawing one of their four Championship games.
They finished fifth last term and were beaten by eventually-promoted Southampton in last season’s play-off semi-finals.
Corberan has since had to replace key departed players such as Okay Yokuslu, Conor Townsend, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Cedric Kipre.
The club made 11 signings during the transfer window, including winger Mikey Johnston permanently from Celtic, midfielder Callum Styles from Barnsley and defender Mason Holgate on loan from Everton.
“In the Championship, you need to create a strong squad,” Corberan told BBC Radio WM.
“You see the investment of every single club [and] you understand that if you don’t strengthen your squad, you cannot be as competitive.
“The market, with all the challenges that we have had in front of us, has been a market that has helped us to rebuild a good squad.”
Of the summer signings, defender Torbjorn Heggem, midfielder Gianluca Frabotta and forward Lewis Dobbin have featured in all four of the team’s league games so far this campaign.
Styles came on for his debut in Albion’s 1-0 win over Swansea on Saturday, as did fellow midfielder Uros Racic, who signed on loan from Italian side Sassuolo last month.
“I like watching [Racic] on the pitch,” said Corberan.
“Sometimes his physical body makes you think that he is a number six but his behaviours help him to play as a number eight.
“I like the fact that I saw our two number eights attacking and arriving in the box.”
Albion must ‘create right identity’
Five of the players who started Albion’s play-off semi-final second leg in May also started against Swansea, with figures such defender Kyle Bartley and midfielder Alex Mowatt remaining at the heart of their side.
“It’s important that we create the right identity with the players that continue and the new players,” said Corberan.
“The team was playing the game with a lot of desire and commitment.”
Johnston and Holgate were not registered in time to play Swansea, but both are familiar to The Hawthorns, with the former playing on loan at the club last season.
Holgate had a previous loan spell at the club in 2019 and Corberan was surprised to have the chance to bring him back.
“I didn’t expect to have this option because we needed to add an attacking player and it was Johnston,” he explained.
“But sometimes in life, and in these markets, appear opportunities that you cannot refuse and we are very pleased to have made this move.”
Albion’s next game is away at Portsmouth (15 September) after the international break.