Kevin Phillips expects Johnstone to want West Brom exit if they go down
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 claims Sam Johnstone could look to quit West Brom in the summer if the Black Country club suffers an expected relegation to the Championship.
Johnstone, 27, has been in exceptional form for the Baggies this season despite their Premier Leagues and the goalkeeper has earned himself a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.
Although no goalkeeper has conceded more than him in England’s top-flight, stats by Wyscout show the ex-Manchester United shot-stopper has made more saves than anyone else in Europe’s top-five leagues [123].
Some of those saves have been absolutely outstanding and there’s no doubt West Brom’s situation in the Premier League would be a lot worse if Johnstone wasn’t playing regularly in goals for them.
In December, The Sun reported that Tottenham, Leeds and Brighton were interested in signing Johnstone, whose contract expires at The Hawthorns at the end of next season.
It was claimed that he would be valued at around £7million this summer if West Brom are relegated and Johnstone fails to sign a new contract – which seems as though it will be the case.
With relegation staring in the Albion’s face, Phillips believes it’s becoming inevitable that Johnstone will look to move on after proving himself in the Premier League and getting into the England squad.
“Being called into the England squad is going to heighten his profile,” Phillips told West Brom News.
“If I’m a West Brom supporter and if you get relegated and you want to come back up next year, then you want a good ‘keeper in that league and Sam is definitely one of those.
“But, from his point of view, as much as you don’t want him to leave he’ll probably want to stay in the Premier League.
“If you’ve become an England international, you’ll want to stay in the Premier League because all of a sudden, he’s profile’s bigger and there will be clubs sniffing.
“It’s going to be a tough one for West Brom to try and keep hold of him in the summer if they do go down. It’s going to be a big decision for both parties.”
In other West Brom news, Albion have agreed a deal with this young midfielder.
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