Carlton Palmer has admitted that West Bromwich Albion could sell John Swift in January as his contract runs down.
The attacking midfielder joined the Baggies in the summer of 2022, and he has gone on to make over 85 appearances for the club in the Championship.
However, with his contract expiring at the end of the season, there are doubts about his future, with Middlesbrough having made a move to sign the 29-year-old in the previous window.
John Swift transfer latest
Whilst Albion retained the ex-Reading man then, it remains to be seen how long he will stay at The Hawthorns, but he continues to be an important figure for Carlos Corberan, as he has started all four games this season.
So, it’s far from ideal that the Baggies have left themselves in this position, and Palmer explained to FLW that a mid-season exit could be on the cards, to ensure Albion don’t let Swift leave for free.
He said: “The one thing Swift does is guarantee goals from midfield. He has 76 times in his Football League career, and he boasts 70 assists, so he has a lot of creativity, but he’s got a lot of work to do this season for West Brom to offer him a contract.
| John Swift’s West Brom Championship Stats (Source: Transfermarkt) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists | |
| 2022/23 | 45 | 6 | 9 | |
| 2023/24 | 39 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2024/25 (as of 14/9/24) | 4 | – | – | |
“At 29, there’s plenty more to come. West Brom did well last season, as they reached the play-offs, but I think they would’ve been expecting a little bit more from Swift. So, we’ll have to wait and see how he does, and if it gets to Christmas and there’s no new contract, you could see him leaving in the January window.”
John Swift can still contribute to West Brom
As mentioned, Swift has featured regularly for Albion this season, so he is a player that the manager rates, and he scored nine goals last season, so he is a very good option in the Championship.
With that in mind, letting him leave on a free wouldn’t be great business, but it’s a tricky one for Albion as they will have one eye on the future.
Presumably, Swift will want a multi-year contract, but will the club want to give that out to someone who will be 30 when next season starts? It has to make financial sense for Albion, and the dynamics obviously change considerably if they win promotion, which is a possibility.
So, in an ideal world, they would wait before making a decision, but that could leave them in a difficult position when the January window comes around if they get a tempting offer.
John Swift and West Brom will be focused on promotion
But, it’s not something that is going to overly concern the club or the player right now.
Swift is clearly enjoying his football with West Brom, and his only focus will be on helping the side as they look to seal a return to the Premier League.
He joined the Baggies with the hope that he could help them back to the top-flight, and after a near miss last time out, there will be a belief that they can go one better this time around.
Albion are back in action on Sunday when they make the trip to Fratton Park to take on Portsmouth.
