"If Bruce was in charge..." - Journalist now drops big future claim on forgotten 64-game WBA man

Romaine Sawyers could become one of the first names on Steve Bruce’s team-sheet at West Brom next season, according to Midlands journalist Josh Holland.

The midfielder is currently on loan at Stoke, but he is expected to return to the Hawthorns once his loan deal ends at the end of the season.

Having failed to feature in the first few games under Valerien Ismael and therefore clearly not in his plans, Sawyers made the loan switch to the Potteries to enhance his game-time.

And it’s generally been a successful campaign for the 30-year-old, who was once described as ‘unbelievable‘ by ex-Baggies caretaker James Shan.

Sawyers did miss more than three months with a muscle tear, but he’s played more than 25 times in all competitions for Stoke, chipping in with three goals and four assists.

Despite being overlooked by Ismael, Holland believes that the arrival of Bruce could hand Sawyers’ West Brom career a lifeline, with the journalist suggesting that he could even go straight into the starting XI under the Baggies manager.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think if Bruce was in charge, Sawyers wouldn’t have been loaned out and he would have been in Bruce’s XI even today, so I think if he has a good pre-season and impresses, I don’t see any reason why he can’t be one of the first names on the West Brom team-sheet next season.”

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Sawyers’ contract at the Hawthorns expires in June, so it’s set to be an anxious few months for the midfielder, regardless of how highly Bruce rates him.

However, according to The Athletic, West Brom have an option to extend his stay in the Midlands and believe that Bruce rates him highly having watched him closely during his time at