West Brom: Cedric Kipre contract decision to be made after injury news

Carlos Corberan has revealed he is confident Cedric Kipre will be fit to return to the West Brom team to face Stoke, and an impressive display would leave Shilen Patel with a decision to make.

The centre-back is out of contract this summer, leaving Patel with the decision of whether to renew his deal or allow him to leave for free.

This comes while there is increasing scrutiny on the financial situation at The Hawthorns, with their wage bill a crucial factor and players likely to be cut on the expiry of their current deals.

Kipre, though, has been one of the standout performers this season and has stepped up to help Albion in their surprise playoff push, establishing himself as a key player and forcing a difficult decision surrounding his contract.

Speaking to the official West Brom website [4 April], Corberan explained: "Cedric Kipre still had pain in his shoulder when we played against Watford on Easter Monday.

"With an injection, he probably could have played, but it made no sense because he still would’ve had pain even with the injection. It was better to reduce the pain and the inflammation and to stabilise the shoulder.

"He has been training well with the group and that gives us a lot of confidence in terms of his availability for Saturday’s game at Stoke City."

Cedric Kipre has earned a new contract at West Brom

Kipre has started 38 of Albion's 40 Championship games this season, establishing himself as a crucial player under Corberan, averaging 87 minutes per game as he is often relied upon to keep the structure at the back. [Sofascore]

In those appearances, he has averaged an 87 per cent passing accuracy, rising to 93 per cent in his own half, with an impressive 46 per cent long pass accuracy to help his team get up the field quickly on the counter.

Defensively, his front-footed style has seen him record an average of 1.5 interceptions per game, 1.2 tackles, 4.3 ball recoveries and 3.8 clearances as he shows he is not afraid to put his body on the line for the team.

On top of that, he is not afraid to progress the ball out from the back either. An 80 per cent dribble success rate is evidence of that, while a total duel success rate of 62 per cent, rising to 67 per cent in the air, shows his consistency when faced with an opposition forward.

It is already expected that Kipre will be chosen as one of the players to remain at The Hawthorns beyond the end of his current contract, but a strong performance against Stoke could force Patel into making the final call early.

In other West Brom news, a pundit has tipped Karlan Grant to quit The Hawthorns this summer.

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