West Brom boss Sam Allardyce admits he's struggling to produce the transfer magic of the past in this month's market.

Allardyce is scouring the transfer market looking for some bargains, although deals for Christian Benteke and Andy Carroll have already been ruled out.

When he was at Bolton, Allardyce made an art form out of signing high-profile players like Jay-Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo, who many thought were past their best but went on to prove they had lots of life left in them. Allardyce does not feel the same market exists these days.

"The players available now are good players but they are not the same pedigree as the others were," he said. "This situation is completely different. Time has moved on.

"The advantage I hope we can use this month is that most clubs across Europe are struggling financially and want to move a player or two on. A player who wouldn't normally come to us in January might have to because the financial implications of that particular club need to be addressed."