Some people just have that uncanny sense of timing.

Take one of the reporters from the national press who regularly attends Graham Potter’s press conferences on Thursdays.

“How many games do you think Glenn Murray could play this season?” the Albion head coach was asked as he previewed the home game against Southampton.

Murray is looking as fit as ever so it seemed a decent enough question at the time. Twelve days on, it looks inspired.

The evergreen Murray, emerging Aaron Connolly and Championship graduate Neal Maupay will be contenders for centre-forward duties after Florin Andone’s loan exit to Galatasaray.

Jurgen Locadia has also gone since that question was asked.

Albion fans were left asking two questions of their own as European deadlines came and went yesterday.

One was: What on earth will the emotional Andone get up to in the heat of an Istanbul derby?

The second, and far more pertinent, was: Have Albion got enough up front?

Actions speak louder than words but this is what Potter told us in answer to that enquiry about Murray.

The Albion boss said: “His fitness is no problem, how he plays is no problem.

“I think he has helped us in games.

“I wouldn’t put a number on anything with any of the players, it just depends on the game, the idea, form.

“Sometimes you can help players by having an impact off the bench. There are different ways to look at it, but he is a really important player for us.

“He is a great guy to work with. He has helped us so far and he will continue to do so.”

Not so Andone, Locadia or, come to that, the departed Tomer Hemed.

If Potter continues to play the same way, he has three options to be the main striker in Murray, Maupay and Connolly.

(Those with long memories might recall a manager or two who would have stuck Dan Burn up there but that is not going to happen!).

Maupay could work off the No.9. Or Potter could go with a front two, probably involving Murray.

What about the attacking roles playing off the centre-forward in a 3-4-3?

Leandro Trossard is an obvious choice, assuming he is not injured or banned or suffers a drop in form as he tackles the rigours of a first intense Premier League season.

Pascal Gross and Solly March have played attacking roles already in the four league games this season.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh might get his chance to make an impact in those areas.

And Yves Bissouma was another name mentioned by Potter as he was quoted in the press release announcing the Andone deal.

That is an intriguing one. The Mali international midfielder is close to a return after surgery on a long-standing shoulder issue.

The prospect of him making those driving runs at defenders or getting in shots with a reduced risk of him losing the ball near his own penalty area is, perhaps, an exciting one.

A talent scout who works the northern part of France for a leading Ligue 1 Conforama club, and who preferred not to be identified, can see Bissouma doing a job in the front three.

He told The Argus: “His best role is box to box. He needs to be surrounded by experienced players and he is best through the middle.

“I could see him playing off a centre-forward although I don’t see it as his best position.”

And then there is Steven Alzate, whose progress along with Connolly has, as Potter highlights, helped shape his thinking on who stays and who goes.

In the wake of their contribution to the Carabao Cup win over Bristol Rovers, he was asked by The Argus whether their progress had surprised him.

Potter said: “I wouldn’t say surprised me because I came in with no preconceived ideas of how they were going to be.

“I heard a lot about Aaron and Steven has come into the group and, from day one, has not looked out of place.

“Their performance (at Bristol Rovers) didn’t surprise me.

“The challenge is to try and find the right pathway, the right development plan for them to be able to get the right options to play football.

“In the Premier League that isn’t so easy but they have been training with us every day.

“I think that is good way of gauging where they are at, rather than sending them away on loan.”

It’s a period of huge change for Albion.

The departure of Locadia and Andone with no one coming in has clearly concerned some fans.

Albion seemed to recognise that and be keen to address any worries, judging by the piece they put out on their website when the Andone deal was done.

Connolly, Alzate and one or two others will just be viewing it as an opportunity.

For them, the timing might be just right.

It might have to be.