Bruce can finally axe "stupid" £10m dud as WBA eye move for "mesmerising" hotshot - opinion

West Bromwich Albion had a pretty disappointing Championship campaign as the Baggies failed to get in with a shout of winning promotion back to the Premier League.

One man at The Hawthorns who had a fairly uninspiring season from an individual point of view is club captain Jake Livermore.

Over 37 league appearances, the midfielder ended up earning himself a rather underwhelming overall performance rating of 6.53/10 from WhoScored. This makes him one of the lowest-rated outfield Baggies players currently at the club to start more than one league game.

As the club captain, for whom the Baggies paid £10m to sign in 2017, it’s safe to suggest that he didn’t do a great job of leading by example in 2021/22.

Livermore’s current contract at The Hawthorns is set to expire in the summer of 2023, meaning that the upcoming transfer window could give Albion a good opportunity to potentially cash in on the midfielder should they feel the need to get rid.

With Steve Bruce previously speaking about a potential overhaul at the club this summer, moving Livermore out could well be in the 61-year-old’s plans.

In terms of who the Baggies could look to bring in as a potential replacement for the 32-year-old, who was slammed in the past by Chris Lepkowski for a “stupid” tackle he made in February, Blackburn Rovers stalwart Joe Rothwell could be the right fit for Bruce and West Brom.

With West Brom having been linked with a move for the 27-year-old – who will be a free agent in July once his current contract at Ewood Park runs out – over the past few weeks, it could be a good financial move for the Midlands club to bring him in.

From a footballing perspective, meanwhile, Rothwell ended the recent season with 141 crosses to his name, which is at