Bruce must boldly unleash £1.3m-rated West Brom ace whose future is "up in the air" - opinion

Steve Bruce must unleash attacking midfielder Romaine Sawyers and involve him at the Hawthorns next season. The £1.3m-rated player has spent this season on loan at fellow Championship club Stoke City and could be key to the Baggies’ push for promotion next season.

Sawyers has featured 20 times for Stoke this campaign and has been one of the best midfielders at the club averaging the second-most assists of any midfielder at the club per 90 minutes.

His contract with West Brom runs out in the summer and his future is “up in the air” according to reporter Steve Madeley. However, the club are understood to have an option to extend his terms by a further 12 months and we think they should.

The 30-year-old watched from the sidelines as the Potters beat his parent club 3-1 last time out. However, speaking after the game Bruce gave Sawyers hope that he still had a future at the club.

He admitted that the player is “in his thoughts” and that he’s “always liked him” and with the club not willing to settle for being mid-table in the Championship he can look to Sawyers to help them climb the table next season.

The player moved to the West Midlands in 2019 for £2.8m after impressing at Brentford the season before assisting seven goals in 42 games. He then made several appearances in his first two seasons, including in the Premier League, before being loaned out when the club got relegated.

His experience is something West Brom can rely on and might need if they are to get back into the top flight, and Bruce seems to recognise that.

If you compare him to the Baggies’ current midfielders then it proves even more why they need to keep him. His number of goals and assists per 90 minutes is 0.31 compared to Alex Mowatt who has 0.19.

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