Timing is everything during the transfer window.

So we may not have heard the last of Reading's interest in Albion striker Tomer Hemed.

Or any other club, for that matter, who might fancy their chances of landing the dedicated Israeli.

The timing of Reading's rejected £4 million bid could not have been more wrong from Albion's perspective.

It came with Glenn Murray (below) the only other out-and-out forward available to Chris Hughton.

The Argus: Sam Baldock has been sidelined in pre-season so far following summer calf surgery.

Allowing Hemed to depart, without not one but two new frontmen lined up, would leave the Seagulls very light at the top end of the pitch.

This will change by the time the transfer window closes at the end of next month.

Hughton will be aiming for four strikers with different attributes, offering the flexibility to alter the shape of the team for the Premier League both before and during matches.

If Murray faces the likelihood of fewer minutes this season compared to last, where does that leave Hemed?

It is not in the 30-year-old's DNA to sit on the fringes and take the pay cheque. He wants to play.

The frustration at not doing so lay behind his dispute with his national team boss and ensuing two-match international suspension.

Hemed felt his remarks were taken out of context in the Israeli press.

He is not a troublemaker but a respectful, hard-working professional with a sound attitude who is desperate to play his part.

He would love that to be with Albion in the Premier League, but to what extent he will have a part to play will be governed by how the squad looks towards the end of August, not now.

The club will also have to weigh up the merit of making upwards of a five-fold profit on the player they snapped up from Almeria two summers ago, or losing him for nothing at the end of the season.

They have made all the right noises, turning Reading down and telling them Hemed is not for sale. Whether that stance remains rooted or shifts will be determined by the next 37 days.