Ex-West Brom star in transfer talks with Reading FC and Hull City | OneFootball

Semi Ajayi's agent is talking about which clubs the released former West Brom is talking to, but his injury record during 2024/25 is a concern.

The agent of the former West Bromwich Albion defender Semi Ajayi, who has been released by the club, has dropped a hint over where he could be playing next season.

Ajayi had been at The Hawthorns since 2019 after signing for West Brom from Rotherham United, racking up 167 League appearances over six seasons.

But the 2024/25 season saw him plagued by injury, and with Albion needing a major overhaul this summer following a disappointing Championship season which ended with them finishing 9th in the table, the club confirmed that he would be one of three players to be released this summer, alongside midfielders Grady Diangana and John Swift.

Ajayi's agent indicates where the defender could be heading next

The Wolverhampton Express & Star has reported that Ajayi's agent, Larry Oban, has been talking about his client's next destination and is confident that a new club will be found.

They report that he said: "He’s already in talks with Reading and Hull, who admire his versatility and experience. An assessment will take place in the coming weeks, but he’ll be there somewhere next season.”

Ajayi is an accomplished defender but his 2024/25 was ruined by injury. He suffered a severe hamstring injury during a match with Cardiff City in November which required surgery, resulting in the defender, who's been capped 39 times for Nigeria, missing AFCON 2025 at the start of this year.

But in only his second match back following his recovery, his hamstring went again, this time during a match against Oxford United at the end of February. In total, he ended up only making 15 appearances for them throughout the 2024/25 season.

Ajayi is an accomplished defender, but his recent injury record is a concern

There's no doubt about Semi Ajayi's ability as a defender. Over six years with West Bromwich Albion he made almost 170 appearances in their first team, in both the Championship and the Premier League.

But his injury record last season is an obvious concern.

To have a hamstring injury is one thing, but to require surgery on it and then pull up again in your second match back is a different matter altogether, and if a club is to spend a significant amount of money on their wages - Capology estimated his earnings at West Brom to be £16,538 a week - they need to know that he's not going to pull up again with similar problems at some point next season.

Ajayi is now 31 years old, about the age when this sort of injury will take longer to recover from.

Perhaps the question is the extent to which any new club, including Hull City or Reading, would consider this to be a risk for the future, and, if so, the extent to which they would be prepared to take a bit of a gamble on him. Even owners with a lot of money are constrained by PSR rules.

The fact that his agent is talking so openly about the clubs that he's now in conversation with would seem to indicate that there are those who would be prepared to take that chance.