‘It makes sense to let him leave’ – West Brom Super Fans discuss future of midfielder
This is part of a regular series from our panel of West Brom Super Fans. Each week, our Super Fans will deliver their verdicts on the biggest talking points and news stories around The Hawthorns.
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Chris Brunt’s time as a West Brom player is coming to an end with the midfielder’s contract due to expire at the end of June.
The 35-year-old will no doubt go down as a modern-day legend among Albion supporters with him making 419 appearances in his 13-year-long spell in the Black Country.
In January, Brunt came close to leaving West Brom to join Championship rivals Stoke before a late change of plan meant that deal hit the skids [Express & Star].
Brunt spoke to West Brom’s official website in February, confirming that he did almost join the Potters and was “disappointed” that the move broke down at the eleventh hour, adding that he wants to pursue more first-team opportunities.
The former Northern Ireland international has played just nine times in all competitions since Slaven Bilic arrived at The Hawthorns so it’s very likely he’ll leave the Baggies in the coming months.
We asked our panel of West Brom Super Fans for their thoughts on Brunt’s potential exit and here is what they had to say:
Luke Pollard (@LukeyP_wba)
Jon W (@JonW1995)
Jamie Rossiter (@Jay89R)
Dave Neale (@baggiedave70)
Sharon (@shazkee)
Most of the fans are torn over Brunt’s future.
While letting him leave makes sense financially and it would be the best thing for him in his quest for more game-time, it would also be a blow to lose someone of his stature.
Dara O’Shea recently said that Brunt has had a huge impact on his development as a player and West Brom will miss that once he has left.
As Gareth Barry could also leave when his contract expires in the summer, West Brom will find themselves losing a lot of experience.
Still, there are players like Jake Livermore, Ahmed Hegazi, Kieran Gibbs, Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu who have plenty of experience to help out the younger players who Bilic is bringing through.
In other West Brom news, Albion are eyeing up a move to sign this Serie A midfielder.