Andrew Nestor explains Alex Palmer’s West Brom exit
Andrew Nestor has explained the reasoning behind the exit of Alex Palmer from West Brom.
It was a fairly busy winter window for the Baggies as Tony Mowbray looked to add to his side ahead of the second half of the campaign.
Albion are pushing for a top-six finish in the hope of a play-off campaign, which could see a return to top-flight football to The Hawthorns next season.
Andrew Nestor explains Alex Palmer departure
Although the Baggies did add a number of players to their ranks during the winter window, supporters may have been left surprised after goalkeeper Alex Palmer was sold to Ipswich Town on Deadline Day for an undisclosed fee.
The goalkeeper has been a solid part of the Albion side so far this term, having made 30 Championship appearances, registering 11 clean sheets throughout.
Having come up through the academy set up in the Black Country, Palmer was first called up to the senior squad in the 2015-16 season before being a regular in the side for the past three seasons.
The 28-year-old made over 100 appearances in all competitions during his time with the Baggies which has certainly led many supporters to claim him as one of their own.
However, the decision to let him leave The Hawthorns was sanctioned, which led Josh Griffiths to be recalled from his loan spell at Bristol Rovers to compete with fellow goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith for the spot in Mowbray’s team in the remainder of the campaign.
Speaking to West Brom’s website (6 February), sporting director Nestor explained the transfer as he said: “Finally, I wish to make special mention of Alex Palmer following his transfer to Ipswich Town.
“He has given tremendous service to this club over a significant period of his life from his days learning his trade in the club’s academy to going on to make over a century of appearances in our first team – on behalf of everyone here, we wish him well for the next chapter.
“We all agreed this was the best decision at this stage for both him and the club with Alex approaching the final year of his contract, while we also have great belief in the quality of goalkeepers coming through.
“We are happy to have Josh Griffiths return to us for the second half of the season after being a standout performer on loan with Bristol Rovers, and he will now have the opportunity to compete with Joe Wildsmith for the number one jersey here.”
West Brom have to choose their new number one
Although Mowbray will have been disappointed to have lost the services of Palmer in his team, especially after his service to the club over a number of years, it is a decision that made sense.
As Nestor points out, the 28-year-old was reaching the final year of his contract and letting him go at this stage allowed the club to gain a fee for a player they have developed throughout his career so far.
Now the manager has the job of choosing between two capable goalkeepers in the final months of the season to see who will take the Baggies forward.
Wildsmith is an experienced name who has already gained Championship experience during his time with Sheffield Wednesday, which may convince the boss to put his trust there.
However, Griffiths looks like a capable young keeper too and may well be an option for the future, which means it’s his time to develop himself at The Hawthorns now.
The positive for the manager is that while losing a core part of the side, the Baggies haven’t been left in too much of a disaster at the back without him either.