West Brom stars and Callum Robinson sends emotional messages after Kyle Bartley news
West Brom are now just a matter of hours away from getting their 2025/26 Championship campaign up and running.
The Baggies are set to welcome Blackburn Rovers to The Hawthorns on Saturday as they bid to put a frustrating pre-season behind them by getting off the mark with three points in the new campaign.
Ryan Mason will likely have already decided on his first competitive starting lineup as boss, and the former Tottenham academy coach will be itching to get up and running in the dugout.
The B71 outfit will have high hopes for the coming season, with the dream of Premier League football hopefully on the horizon once again.
Robinson sends message as Kyle Bartley confirms retirement
West Brom have received a late blow in their preparation with the news that Kyle Bartley is set to retire from the professional game.
The 34-year-old suffered a knee injury last season, and he has cited that as one of the main reasons behind his decision.
Mason has been able to bolster his defence already in the transfer market, with the arrivals of Nat Phillips and George Campbell, but the loss of such an experienced figure will still be felt.
- Bartley made 232 appearances for Albion across 15 seasons
- His career also took in spells with likes of Arsenal, Leeds and Swansea
- He played a key role in West Brom's promotion-winning 2019/20 side
Bartley turned out over 230 times in the famous blue and white stripes and has been a crucial part of several watertight defences for the club over the years.
Albion confirmed Bartley's retirement with an Instagram post on Friday, and the post drew numerous emotional reactions from current and former teammates.
Ex-Baggies frontman Callum Robinson replied to the post with a blue heart emoji and a smiling face with a tear, while Karlan Grant and Daryl Dike also commented with messages of support.
The post was also liked by a whole host of former stars, including the likes of Mason Holgate and Cedric Kipre, as well as Alex Mowatt and Mikey Johnston from the current side.
West Brom need to get another centre-back
Torbjorn Heggem's future at West Brom is also in doubt, as Bologna continue to pursue a move for the Norwegian.
It is looking increasingly likely that he may end up departing before the transfer deadline, which would leave the Baggies in desperate need of reinforcements at the centre of their defence.
With Bartley now out of the equation, losing Heggem would leave Mason with just three senior centre-backs, with one of them being Caleb Taylor, who has played just four games at Championship level.
Another addition in this area of the pitch will be vital for Mason in the next few weeks, or it could threaten to derail the campaign before it has even properly begun.
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