West Brom continue to make blunders as Kyle Bartley triggers contract extension
West Brom confirmed on their official website on Friday that Kyle Bartley has extended his stay at The Hawthorns to the summer of 2024.
The centre-back has played a “pivotal role” for the Baggies since the appointment of Carlos Corberan, and he has hit an appearance-related clause in his current contract.
The former Swansea defender scored twice for Albion as the Baggies earned three successive clean sheets in victories over Blackpool, Queens Park Rangers, and Stoke City.
It shows that the club is still continuing to make poor decisions. They never appear to learn from past mistakes.
An argument can be made that it’s the player who has triggered the clause in his contract, and the club couldn’t do anything about it. But, there should not be any appearance clause in the first place.
Moreover, the final decision always rests with the club.
The Baggies should be looking to bring in new and young players at the club, and not retain old players on fat contracts.
Bartley has got loads of experience, and he has been brilliant under Corberan as well. But there is no guarantee that he will continue to maintain this newly-found form, considering how poor he was under Steve Bruce.
This is a player who has got serious issues with consistency. There is a high chance that he can relapse again, and start performing rubbish.
The news has come at a time when the club reportedly [Football League World, 8 December] are in the market to sign Ryan Porteous in January.
West Brom had a great opportunity to clear the deadwood and bring in a new addition, but they chose the lazy option yet again. The club keep on making blunders – will they ever learn?
In other West Brom news, while Stewart is set to return, there are a number of absentees for Sunderland with two players still out due to the World Cup.