Kevin Phillips: West Brom could lose Semi Ajayi in summer, Premier League clubs could come calling

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 insisted that West Brom could lose Semi Ajayi in the upcoming summer at The Hawthorns.

The ex-Baggies talisman believes that clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League could come calling if he was made available.

Ajayi was said to have nearly left The Albion back in January and will go into the final year of his current deal over the summer.

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“I would say so,” he exclusively told West Brom News.

“I think he’s a really accomplished centre-half, he has shown in these spells that he can deliver and it’s just getting that consistency.

“When a new manager comes in and you fall out or whatever, I think he’s shown that he’s got the quality, he’s a big, powerful centre-half with leadership qualities.

“So, I would assume that there would be interest in him, he would fit the mould of a lot of teams, maybe in the lower half of the Premier League, and definitely the top half of the Championship – he’s definitely a player that would attract interest.”

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Ajayi was in and out of the side during the first half of the season, with Valerien Ismael not nailing down his preferred back three.

Things have certainly changed under Steve Bruce, though, who has favoured the Nigerian international.

Having Bruce come in could have brought back the smile on Ajayi’s face while playing, and that is a huge thing in football.

Even if the Premier League clubs come calling in the summer, could Bruce sticking around for a big promotion push convince him to stay? We would hope so.

In other West Brom news, Steve Bruce has held talks over new Baggies signing since arriving with a work permit update shared

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