Leeds want West Brom mainstay in final 18 months of contract – report
West Brom could face a January struggle to keep hold of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, arguably their star man this season, according to The Sun.
Johnstone, so often West Brom’s Premier League saviour this season and main source of inspiration as they bid to beat the drop, is wanted by Leeds and Brighton with his contract entering its final 18 months.
As a result, Alan Nixon, writing for The Sun, has said: “The last time they [West Brom] can hope for a decent fee for Johnstone is at the end of the season and even then it might only be about £7million.
“So if Albion are looking doomed by the end of next month, it could bring forward his ideal time to be flogged off.”
With Leeds and Brighton both residing in the bottom half of the table, and not yet out of sight of the Baggies, it would seem a strange move to strengthen a Premier League rival by offloading Johnstone.
As mentioned by Nixon, though, Johnstone’s price would dwindle if the Baggies are relegated, and January could be the best time to cash in on his excellent form and maximise his value.
Johnstone transfer would leave Allardyce short
Any deal to ship out Johnstone is sure to leave new Baggies boss Sam Allardyce with a headache as he bids to turn around their failing fortunes.
Johnstone has been vital for West Brom this season, exemplified by a number of statistics that sum up their struggles so far in the Premier League.
Per WyScout, Johnstone has made a league-high 70 saves in the Premier League this season, an average of 4.68 per 90.
He also ranks among the league’s best for prevented goals per 90 (0.33), behind only Burnley’s Nick Pope (0.41) and Newcastle’s Karl Darlow (0.39).
Should Johnstone depart, the Baggies would be left desperately short of quality options in the goalkeeping department.
Behind Johnstone in the pecking order at the Hawthorns are David Button and Jonathan Bond, who possess only four Premier League appearances between them in their career (Button – four, Bond – zero).
With funds expected to be scarce for West Brom in the upcoming transfer window, and with a number of other areas in desperate need of an injection of quality, Allardyce will be desperate to keep Johnstone.
As well as an inability to restrict their opponents to minimal chances, West Brom have also struggled in front of goal, with only 10 goals in 14 Premier League games this season.
Therefore, Allardyce will want to focus his attention on recruits to his forward line, and avoid a January scramble to sign a goalkeeper of Johnstone’s quality, a difficult task particularly with a lack of funds.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies are reportedly in the hunt for a Manchester United winger who has recently returned to favour.
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