Boss expects business to be done later in summer
STEVE Clarke has called for patience as Albion look to bring in players to bolster his squad ahead of a fourth successive Barclays Premier League campaign.The Baggies boss admits no new faces are imminent and believes, similarly to last year, most deals will happen later in the summer.
“We have a list of players but I’d be lying if I said we had players lined up to come in because we haven’t,” said Clarke.
“But it’s a long summer and you tend to find that there aren’t many signings in June and I think that will be the case again this year.
“Last year the only player we signed in June was Ben Foster and that was a carry on from the end of the previous season, when he’d been here on loan.
“Every other deal was done in July and August and that will be the same again this year.”
Clarke refused to reveal the names of any potential targets but is eager to find the right men to build on the club’s most successful Barclays Premier League campaign.
“I won’t mention any names because it’s disrespectful to the clubs that the players are already at,” he said.
“It’s about improving the squad.
“The club have managed to do that over the last few years and we will look to do it again in the summer.
“The Premier League is a league where, if you don’t improve every year, you go backwards.
“If you stand still, teams go above you.”