"Shake hands and move on" - West Brom backed to take John Swift exit action | OneFootball

The 29-year-old should be set for a move at the end of his contract, according to Abion fans

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

John Swift has seen his output deteriorate season upon season since signing for West Bromwich Albion.

The 29-year-old has more appearances from the bench in the Championship this season than he has starts, despite being named in the first eight starting squads this campaign.

Having arrived at West Brom with plenty of promise after contributing to 24 goals in 38 Championship games in his final season at Reading, Swift hasn't hit the consistent heights plenty saw during his time in Berkshire.

And, with his three-year deal he signed upon his arrival at The Hawthornes in 2022 expiring at the end of the season, FLW's West Brom fan pundit, Callum Burgess, feels it's time for the two to part ways come the end of the season.

"Inconsistent" Swift should depart West Brom this summer

We asked Callum whether he thought offering John Swift a new deal at the end of the season would be a good idea for West Brom.

He felt that the club should shy away from giving him a new deal at the end of the season, stating: "It's probably fair to say that John Swift has done his due course at West Brom and it's probably the best for both parties this summer to shake hands and move on.

"He did have moments in the first half of last season where he showed the kind of performances we were expecting when we first signed him, but aside from that, his time at Albion has been largely inconsistent."

Swift netted six goals and grabbed one assist in the first eleven league games of the 2023/24 Championship season but was unable to maintain that form, scoring just three times during the rest of the campaign.

Callum and the rest of the West Brom fans know that there is a solid player there, and at 29, there is still the opportunity for him to recapture what was shown at Reading at a different club.

He said: "There's no doubt that he's a player with strong Championship quality, and he'll have plenty of interest from other sides in the division, but we're probably approaching the end of his time at West Brom."

John Swift can still contribute to the current West Brom play-off charge

After going through the first five months of the season without registering a goal or an assist, John Swift has two goals and one assist in his last six league games.

He made his first Championship start in a month in Sunday's draw with league leaders Leeds United and assisted the equalising goal for Darnell Furlong.

Callum believes that Swift can be a contributing factor in their ongoing play-off push as he looks to build his stock up ahead of a summer where he could be the subject of plenty of interest if the Baggies choose not to renew his contract.

"Hopefully, before the end of the season, he's able to put in some strong performances to get us in the play-offs before he moves on."