Carlos Corberan's transfer update: West Brom have 'new reality' this season

The Baggies have endured a difficult summer in which the head coach has conducted something of a rebuild while being restrained by financial fair play regulations.

Corberan was quite clear that Albion are still active in the transfer market, though was coy on how many additions he still seeks – and whether any more could follow Okay Yokuslu, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Conor Townsend out of the exit door.

He has bolstered his ranks ahead of tomorrow's Championship opener at Loftus Road, with Gianluca Frabotta and Lewis Dobbin set for debuts, but Corberan – who guided Albion to the play-offs in his first full season last term – stressed the club are still in a "building process" and with much more financial restrictions than anything faced last season.

"Sometimes when you start the season but you are in the middle of the market, and there is more work that you have to do, you're in a moment where you're building the process," Corberan said.

"We arrive to the season with 45 or 50 per cent of the players we had from last year.

"You would like to start the competition having had more time to work with the new players and create new behaviours, but not always the situation in football is ideal."

The head coach added: "We are talking about the biggest club in the Championship, or one of the biggest in this division. When you are going to face challenges to put the club in the place where you want, it's the biggest challenge you'll have.

"Last year, we made a good season where the team made the play-offs. This year, we have much more restrictions financially.

"The challenge increases, we'll have more difficulties because we must adapt to the financial rules."

Asked about the patience and understanding of supporters, Spaniard Corberan replied: "In the difficult situations, that's when the togetherness is most important.

"We need to understand the reality of the club last year is not the reality now. The wages on players that the club could spend before, it's impossible for the club to spend now.

"There is a new reality for the club, it's a consequence of the previous years according to the new rules."

Corberan confirmed the club have one more slot to fill of the four squad players permitted to under the new Governing Body Endorsement (gbe) criteria, which permits players under the 15 visa points to sign. Previously, post Brexit, players required more points to join a British club, with points related to the standards of club and league of targeted players, as well as international experience.

The summer signings of Torbjorn Heggem, Ousmane Diakite and Gianluca Frabotta, from Sweden, Austria and Italy respectively, have all come under the new allowance, meaning Albion have one remaining slot to fill. The new criteria has made it easier for clubs, including Albion, to sign overseas players.

Corberan explained: "For me, in England we know that we have the rule about the points – you can only have four players who haven't achieved the points.

"After Brexit, that was the rule which dominated the market. As of three or four years ago, you couldn't bring players who hadn't achieved 15 points. Why? Because it was to protect the level of football here.

"Only players who came from the highest leagues in the world, who have some level, who were allowed to come and play here. The last year, it changed.

"Clubs can have four players who haven't achieved the points. We have signed three of the four players we are allowed. We still have one gap to get one player who doesn't have the points or the British passport.

"You always go to the market according to your possibilities, and go for players which you consider are the best ones."

Corberan stressed Albion's hierarchy, ownership group Bilkul Football WBA, and relevant football colleagues like director of football operations Ian Pearce, are under no illusions of his needs for the remainder of the market.

Asked about what he would like to see through the door before August 30, he added: "I have said to my club this week the need we have to compete in the Championship, to be a competitive team.

"They know in detail the needs I have explained. We know it must be within the restrictions that we have."

Probed on whether he envisaged any more permanent exits via sales to help raise funds or balance books further, Corberan said: "Hopefully we don't have to do anything that will decrease our competitive level, this is what we're working to avoid."