West Brom set to hire new chief scout

New recruitment boss Luke Dowling wants to appoint a chief scout to oversee the six full-time scouts already at the club.

And he's hoping to have his man in place within the next fortnight in order to give him time to bed in ahead of the window.

"We're not flooded with a load of scouts as we speak at the club," said Dowling. "We've got some in certain areas.

"We're looking to appoint a chief scout in the coming weeks to head that department up.

"Once that person's in then I'll sit down with them and discuss what other scouts we want in other areas of this country and Europe, and then we'll slowly build it without it becoming too vast and too big.

"You need people who have the same eye as we have and has an idea of what the football club needs. That's something we want to expand on and put our little stamp on it."

Although Albion's scouting network is not small by Championship standards, Dowling still wants to enhance it.

"Currently we have six full-time scouts, four out watching games and two others doing different bits at the training ground and putting together videos.

"With the chief scout that will be seven and we won't look to add too many more to that.

"I'd say for a Championship club to have six full-time is a bigger department than most.

"When you get to the Premier League it's different and in the top eight of the Premier League it's worldwide."