Steve Bruce faces 'crucial' transfer call as striker discusses West Brom return

Steve Bruce is expected to make a call on the immediate future of West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Josh Griffiths in the near future, amid strong interest from League One side Portsmouth. Griffiths, 20, has spent the last two years out on loan at Cheltenham Town - where he won the League Two title - and then, last season at Lincoln City.

Griffiths, who now has international recognition having been called up to England U21s’ Euros squad early last year, returned to Albion this summer with an injury, but with almost 100 senior appearances to his name. Back in training for pre-season along with David Button, Alex Palmer and Ted Cann, under the watchful eye of Gary Walsh, his future must be decided.

As mentioned, Pompey are keen. Boss Danny Cowley is on the look-out for a new number one after last season’s loanee, Gavin Bazunu, was sold by parent club Manchester City to their south coast rivals Southampton. For ex-Lincoln and Huddersfield Town boss Cowley, Griffiths would appear to fit the bill.

Jay Rodriguez is looking forward to going back to visit West Bromwich Albion later this season - a visit which will be his first in front of a full Hawthorns crowd. Rodriguez left Albion in the summer of 2019 to return to boyhood club Burnley, who are back in the Championship this coming season.

Striker Rodriguez, 32, scored 33 goals in two campaigns at Albion between 2017 and 2019, a period in which the club suffered relegation from the Premier League after an eight-year stay and then a promotion push which fell short in the play-offs 12 months later.

He left the club in the summer of 2019 having been otherwise content to remain at The Hawthorns and lead the line for new boss Slaven Bilic, but when his hometown club came in