Steve Bruce wants West Brom to secure future of Matt Clarke

Steve Bruce has made it clear that he will try to secure a deal for West Brom defender Matt Clarke.

According to Express and Star, the 25-year-old defender, who is on loan from Brighton, is set to leave the Premier League side permanently this summer.

The defender is keen on returning to The Hawthorns and Bruce has confirmed that talks will take place at the end of the season.

"We have to have those conversations with Brighton. Clarkey, since I’ve been here, has been the most consistent player," said Bruce, as quoted by Express and Star.

“He is a really good pro and does everything right. You can’t have too many Matt Clarke’s around. He’s the type you want to have around here. And there aren’t too many left footers about. He gives you that natural balance. He gives you what he has got, week-in, week-out.

“But he is Brighton’s player so we have to have conversations over the next few weeks and see what his situation is.”

Earlier this week, Albion confirmed that Jayson Molumby's loan deal was being made permanent.

Must sign

This has been a poor campaign for the Baggies, but they have to look forward to the future.

The club needs massive rebuilding work, and it's good to see that they have kept faith in Steve Bruce to do the job.

It won't be easy though. The club need to ship out some of the fringe players and bring in new faces who can actually make a significant difference to the squad.

Clarke has been brilliant for the Baggies this season. He has made 32 appearances in the Championship this season, and Bruce seems to be a big fan of his talent.

Having a left-footed centre-back to the squad is always an added bonus, and the club should look to do everything to bring him to the Hawthorns in the summer.

However, Albion may need to ship out a couple of centre-backs before they can think about adding him to the squad permanently.

In other West Brom news, Steve Madeley doesn’t believe Steve Bruce wanted West Brom ace in squad next season

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