31-year-old earmarked for summer exit from West Brom | OneFootball

West Brom could look to offload Matt Phillips in the summer transfer window, a report from The Athletic has revealed.

Phillips joined West Brom in the summer of 2016, and has since gone on to make 196 appearances in all competitions for the Baggies, scoring 26 goals in that time.

However, the 31-year-old has found game time harder to come by this season amid a series of injury issues, as West Brom have struggled to mount the expected push for an immediate promotion back to the Premier League.

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As things stand, the winger’s contract with the club is not set to expire until the end of the 2023/24 season, having only signed a new deal with West Brom last August.

But despite that, it seems as though Phillips could be on his way out of The Hawthorns in the next few months.

According to this latest update, West Brom could now look to let Phillips leave the club this summer, either permanently or on loan.

It is thought that the Baggies are looking to move players on this summer in order to clear space in the budget for potential new signings, with the 31-year-old identified as an option to move on for pastures new.

The Verdict

It does seem as though this could be a sensible decision for West Brom to make over Phillips’ future.

After such an underwhelming campaign for the Baggies, they are going to have to make changes to their squad, if they are to mount a fresh push for promotion from the Championship next season.

Given he has struggled to make much of an impact during the current campaign, with just three goals and two assists in 23 league games, Phillips does seem to be a sensible candidate for them to move on.

But having given him a long term contract only this summer, it could be hard for other clubs to agree a fee that will be acceptable to West Brom for the 31-year-old, meaning that decision could be about to backfire on them somewhat.