Kyle Bartley must be handed new contract amid double West Brom development
West Brom have kept their sights on the top clubs in the Championship after their superb victory against Blackburn Rovers.
Brandon Thomas-Asante stole the show with a brace in the 4-1 win on Saturday (13 January), with Tom Fellows also on the scoresheet as Dominic Hyam netted an own goal for the visitors.
But also impressing was centre-back Kyle Bartley, with the 32-year-old producing a solid display for the Baggies at The Hawthorns.
As per Sofascore, the experienced defender won four of his five duels (80%), made a match-high five interceptions, along with one tackle. Bartley also completed 77% of his passes against Blackburn, and even created a big chance with one key pass.
It was a very important display in the short-term as it helped West Brom to a huge three points in their search for promotion to the Premier League.
But it should also serve the player well in the long-term, with the club surely needing to hand him a new contract after a double development at The Hawthorns.
The first and most pressing issue involves Bartley’s current deal, with the defender’s contract at the club set to expire at the end of the season [Express and Star, 10 January).
Secondly, and equally worrying, is the uncertain future of another centre-back, with Fabrizio Romano reporting on X (12 January) that clubs in the Premier League, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga are tracking Cedric Kipre.
West Brom manager Carlos Corberan is already without Semi Ajayi for the time being, with the defender currently on international duty with Nigeria.
Now is therefore the time to hand Bartley a new deal, with the player set to be much more comfortable on the pitch with the knowledge that his future has been settled.
In other West Brom news, one journalist is “sworn to secrecy” over new names in the Albion takeover saga as details are omitted.