Exclusive: West Brom first-team trio ‘will put pen to paper’ on short-term deals – ex-Baggie
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips has tipped Grady Diangana, Callum Robinson and Filip Krovinovic to put pen to paper on extended loan deals that will keep them at West Brom until the season ends.
Diangana, Robinson and Krovinovic have all played key roles in West Brom’s season so far but all three of them are currently on loan deals at The Hawthorns that are due to expire at the end of June.
However, if the Championship season is able to reconvene, it is highly likely to run well into July, handing Albion the task of negotiating short-term loan extensions for the three players.
Ex-Baggies forward Phillips is sure that his former club will be able to strike new agreements with the players and the parent clubs as Slaven Bilic’s men aim to pick up where they left off with their promotion bid in the coming weeks.
“Yes, I would have thought they’d sign short-term deals,” Phillips told West Brom News. “I think they will want to stay to get the job done and see it through.
“I’d imagine they’d want to be a part of something very special and, of course, that’s promotion.
“I don’t expect any hiccups and those boys will put pen to paper and it’s good that they can do that because when we do start, they’ll have a full squad to pick from.”
When asked how much of a blow it would be if the trio didn’t have their loans extended, Phillips added: “Yes it would. It could happen but I don’t see it happening.
“I would imagine the players would want to get over the line with the club they’ve spent the whole season with.”
Since joining on loan from West Ham in the summer, Diangana has been one of the stars of the show at The Hawthorns this season but has only played twice since being hit with a number of injury issues in December.
Robinson was brought in on loan from Sheffield United in January to add some extra strength in depth on the left-wing and he has done a superb job of slotting into Bilic’s attack.
Krovinovic struggled to get a start in the first half of the season but since the winter he has been a mainstay of West Brom’s midfield and you cannot imagine a starting line-up without him in it once football returns.
If Albion can strike new agreements to keep these three players past the end of June then that would be a major boost to their promotion hopes.
In other West Brom news, Gary Neville has shared how his ‘horror show’ at The Hawthorns led to him retiring.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.