Carlos Corberan must consider summer sale of West Brom defender Kyle Bartley after injury setback
Although Kyle Bartley has been a loyal servant to West Brom over the years, his latest injury setback is surely the last straw for Carlos Corberan at The Hawthorns.
The Spanish manager confirmed on Tuesday, 14 February that the defender had suffered a fresh injury and could be out of the first team fold until the beginning of April.
And considering the Englishman hasn’t played a competitive game for Albion’s first-team since before the World Cup due to a troublesome thigh injury, Corberan must now be considering a summer sale of the 31-year-old.
Although Bartley showed prior to his injury that he still has the ability to perform to a Championship level, scoring two goals and helping to keep three consecutive clean sheets, he doesn’t possess the tools to compete consistently in the Premier League.
Over the last 18 months, a weekly game of West Brom bingo wasn’t complete without a Bartley individual error. A few good games can’t paper over the cracks of a defender who is sadly reaching the twilight years of his career.
In his absence, Erik Pieters has filled the void at centre-back brilliantly alongside the ever-dependable Dara O’Shea. Even on the bench, Corberan can call upon man-mountain Semi Ajayi to take the reins if needed, and it seems as though Bartley is surplus to requirements at the moment.
With the Baggies holding high hopes for their Championship promotion push this season under Corberan, the club can’t afford to carry along injury-prone players who aren’t going to make an impact on the pitch.
The defender would be a popular asset in the Championship transfer market if given the green light to move on, and West Brom would get the added bonus of freeing up funds for further summer acquisitions.
Bartley’s route back to the first team is a minefield of potential injuries and selection disappointments. For both parties, a parting of ways could be the best way forward this summer.
In other West Brom News, a defender may never feature for the club again after what happened recently and may even leave for free.