It’s no secret that West Bromwich Albion’s have suffered from a lack of creativity in the engine room due to Matheus Pereira (11 goals and six assists from 33 Premier League games in 2020/21) leaving last summer, so Steve Bruce is looking to solve the problem by signing a midfielder who will contribute goals.

The Baggies have identified Reading’s John Swift, Blackburn Rovers’ Joe Rothwell and Aston Villa’s Conor Hourihane as potential options, but a cheap solution is right under their nose – Romaine Sawyers. The 30-year-old was loaned out to Stoke City after struggling in the Premier League last season, but he did well at the Britannia Stadium before getting injured and could be worth retaining.

Sawyers has made more passes (38.8 per game) than Jake Livermore (33.9), has the best pass completion (85.2%) than any West Brom player (84.8%) and boasts more assists (3) than Alex Mowatt (2), so he’d definitely improve the squad. It wouldn’t cost West Brom a penny to have the midfielder back, so recalling Sawyers is a no-brainer if the club don’t have lucrative funds for new arrivals.

Supporters wanted the St. Kitts and Nevis international back in January and journalists hinted that a return could be on the cards, so this would be heralded as a positive move by Bruce. Sawyers doesn’t relinquish possession cheaply and should thrive if pushed higher up the pitch than in 2019/20.

In other news, Steve Bruce is smart to move for Matthew Clarke on a permanent deal