West Brom defender Semi Ajayi has revived his career at the club in the second half of the season, having started the last nine games in a row despite making just 15 appearances in the 2021/22 Championship beforehand.
His speed and physicality have caught the eye in recent months, and after becoming an outcast under former Albion manager Slaven Bilic, current boss Steve Bruce has brought him in from the cold and helped him return to his best – but his recent form might eventually come at a cost.
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Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips has claimed that the Baggies could be forced into selling their 28-year-old centre-back, who he believes could even be playing in the top flight next season.
When asked by West Brom News if Albion could lose Ajayi this summer, the 48-year-old replied: “I would say so. I think he’s a really accomplished centre-half, he has shown in these spells that he can deliver and it’s just getting that consistency.
“When a new manager comes in and you fall out or whatever, I think he’s shown that he’s got the quality, he’s a big, powerful centre-half with leadership qualities.
“So, I would assume that there would be interest in him, he would fit the mould of a lot of teams, maybe in the lower half of the Premier League, and definitely the top half of the Championship – he’s definitely a player that would attract interest.”
West Brom need to keep Ajayi
Ajayi has excelled in the Championship in previous years, including his 2018/19 campaign which saw him feature in all 46 of Rotherham’s matches, scoring seven goals in the process. That prompted the Baggies to sign him for £1.49m, and their promotion-winning 2019/20 campaign saw him score five goals in 43 matches, a very respectable return for a centre-back.
This year, the Nigeria international has made 2.9 clearances and won 5.1 duels and 1.3 tackles per game, while completing 80% of his dribbles and executing 1.6 long passes per match.
With superb athleticism and rapidly improving defensive skills, Ajayi – who last year was described by former England midfielder Trevor Sinclair to be “getting better all the time” – would be a huge loss to West Brom, and the Albion faithful will surely be hoping that they can keep hold of him for next season.
Given the fine form that the Nigerian has shown, it could be disastrous for the Baggies to lose the 28-year-old if the lure of another club proves too attractive to resist.
In other news: West Brom dodged a huge transfer bullet over £48k-p/w “Rolls-Royce”