West Brom make significant decision on 29-year-old ahead of likely summer exit

Championship club West Bromwich Albion will leave Sam Johnstone out of their side for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign ahead of the expiration of his contract in the summer, as per a Patreon report from Alan Nixon.

The 29-year-old has been one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Baggies this term following an impressive season in the Premier League last year, establishing himself as one of their most prized assets and arguably deserving to move back to the top tier.

There was no shortage of interest in his signature either last summer, though West Ham United were the only side to make a formal offer for the England international as they launched a £6m bid for his services.

This offer in mid-July was rejected by officials at The Hawthorns though – and with that – he remained with the club and continued to be a regular in the starting lineup.

However, he doesn’t seem to be any closer to signing a new deal with talks between the two parties reported to have stalled some time ago and manager Bruce has even admitted recently that the shot-stopper is likely to leave with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur looking set to battle it out for his signature.

With this, Albion have now taken the decision to leave the 29-year-old out of the side according to reporter Nixon, with David Button looking like the favourite at this stage to take Johnstone’s spot.

The Verdict:

This is a decision that makes sense because there’s no point playing someone who will definitely not be involved next season, unless there are a real shortage of options in this position.

It seems as though the second-tier side have now acknowledged that there’s no real chance of them forcing their way into the promotion mix now and with this, they