West Brom progress in bid for free agent midfield cover

It was revealed last week that former French international M’Vila, 33, who has been without a club since last summer, was in talks to join the Baggies on a short-term deal for the rest of the season.

M’Vila briefly worked with Spaniard Corberan at the duos’ previous club Olympiacos and The Hawthorns head coach – whose side welcome high-flying Southampton tonight – is keen to add another midfielder to his ranks with Molumby sidelined for the campaign after surgery on his foot.

“We are working on this process, this process is starting to be in the last step,” Corberan said. “Hopefully in the next week we have better news, and hopefully and we can have him in the next week because we are in the last part of the work permit process.”

Frenchman M’Vila was a regular for former club Olympiacos before his release last summer. He has not played for his country since 2012 and had a loan at Sunderland in 2015/16, but has otherwise not played in England.

Corberan added: “First of all the work is still in process and I think it’s better to talk in detail when the things have happened with the players. With Molumby, I told you it was important to add one option specifically, according to our financial possibilities.

“When you mix everything, he (M’Vila) was the player that we are working on because he is someone who we believe can cover perfectly this gap.”

Albion discovered more information in their bid to access a via and work permit for M’Vila this week. Corberan has previously stated he thinks the experienced midfielder is an ideal character to bring in at this stage.

He conceded that free agents who have been without a club always need time to build up match fitness, but to what extent depends on work carried out individually.

“With the free players, you have the challenge that they will be available for more or less time.

“In the case of M’Vila, the last game he played with Olympiacos was in May last year, so it’s different when you start to work with a player who has been playing or the player who has not.

“The player who hasn’t been playing needs a little time and it’ll depend a lot about what the free players are doing in the time that they’re not playing.”