West Bromwich Albion's focus heading into the summer transfer window was to offload players before even thinking about recruiting as they looked to balance the books.
However, after getting a lot of deadweight out of The Hawthorns in the early stages of the summer, and bringing in £7m through the sale of Dara O'Shea to Burnley, the Championship outfit can perhaps now start to bring in some of Carlos Corberan's targets.
Who is West Brom target Josh Key?
According to Football Insider reporter Pete O'Rourke, West Brom are in talks to sign versatile star Josh Key from League One side Exeter City.
Key is out of contract with Exeter and is therefore available on a free transfer, making him an ideal option for Albion as they look to strengthen in multiple positions.
Given his performances in the third tier, plus his contract situation, Key is understandably attracting plenty of interest. It is claimed that Championship pair Plymouth Argyle and Swansea City are also in for the 23-year-old, with the latter already making a compensation payment offer to Exeter.
Where would Josh Key fit in at West Brom?
Whoever wins the race for Key will be signing an extremely versatile player. The youngster started his career at right wing-back and featured there seven times last season, as per WhoScored, but he is also comfortable playing at centre-back (10 appearances), where a position has opened up at West Brom.
Key's versatility does not stop there, though, as he was also used in more advanced positions under Gary Caldwell last season, featuring on both the right and left wings, as well as in central attacking midfield and even as a striker.
"He is an amazing football player who can play in a number of positions and it is about how we utilise him in different games," Caldwell said in December.
Caldwell also praised Key's ability to get past an opponent, which is reflected in the fact that no City player attempted more dribbles (1.6) per game last season.
Key ultimately started out as a defender, and it may well be that it is at the back he finds himself should he join Albion, with Corberan feeling the need to overcome the exit of O'Shea. The Torquay native is just as strong in that side of the game, highlighted by his 1.6 tackles per game – only Alex Hartridge (1.8), who played exclusively at centre-back last season, could better than among Exeter regulars.
Should he arrive, it is clear that Key would not exactly be a like-for-like replacement for O'Shea. However, the former Tiverton Town loanee more than holds his own in certain areas when compared to the now-Burnley man.
For example, O'Shea averaged 1.1 tackles per game last season, while Key averaged 0.5 dribbles to the Irishman's 0.2. The latter did come out on top in terms of interceptions (1.8 v 0.7), but that can partly be explained by Key playing out wide and further up the field last season.
The pair are also different in stature, with Key – on a reported weekly wage of £1.1k per week during his time at Exeter – measuring in at 5 foot 10 and O'Shea at 6 foot 1.
Whether it is as a centre-back, right-back, on the wing or attacking midfield, it might just be that Joshua holds the key to unlocking a promotion-winning team under Corberan.