Steve Bruce has opted against triggering a one-year contract extension for Romaine Sawyers this summer, so the 30-year-old will be on his way out of West Bromwich Albion when his deal is up in the coming weeks. Steve Madeley of The Athletic said the decision was ‘anticlimactic’ and ‘not hugely surprising’, but it is.

West Brom aren’t blessed with a lot of depth in midfield after losing Sawyers, Rekeem Harper and Sam Field last summer, and they don’t have lucrative funds for new recruits, so the general consensus was that they would bring in any useful player as cheaply as possible.

Sawyers had a decent start on loan at Stoke City and greatly impressed for West Brom in their last Championship season (2019/20), but Bruce clearly doesn’t think he’s up to the task anymore. And that might be down to how this season has gone.  The 30-year-old’s form fell off a cliff after he picked up a thigh injury, so Albion will take their chances in the transfer market instead.

Sawyers could have been a useful squad player, but the likes of John Swift, Conor Hourihane and Joe Rothwell are better options.

In other news, West Brom signing Joe Rothwell would be upgrade on Alex Mowatt