Express & Star

Comment: West Brom's Chris Brunt deserving of another 12 months

Albion stalwart Chris Brunt is set to bag himself a 12-month contract extension.

Published
Brunt joined Albion in 2007

An appearance-based extension to the deal he signed last February, he was expected to trigger it at Bournemouth today.

The Northern Irishman is fully deserving of having his stay continued too.

Brunt, 33, has been a phenomenal servant to the Baggies since joining from Sheffield Wednesday in 2007.

Possessing a wand of a left foot, he has long been one of Albion’s main creative players – and is a hard-worker off the ball as well.

While some players have not appeared to be putting in enough effort under Alan Pardew as of late, Brunt’s commitment to the cause cannot be questioned.

And with relegation to the Championship looking a case of when, not if, he is exactly the type of player the Baggies will need next season.

After all, the man who recently stated his desire to reach 400 appearances for the club – on 366 before today’s game – knows all about the demands of the second tier.

Of course, he is more recognised for his top-flight efforts for Albion over the past several years, but Brunt went on to secure automatic promotion from the division in his first season at The Hawthorns.

He had the most prolific goalscoring campaign of his career in 2009/10, which again ended with Albion returning to the Premier League, netting 13 times in 43 games across all competitions.

And it was his top-notch displays in the division for Wednesday which caught the eye of the Baggies in the first place.

The Championship may have changed a little bit in recent years – more money involved and perhaps games being played at a higher speed – but Brunt has, undoubtedly, shown his ability to adapt with the times.

Not just a one-trick pony, he has played in a variety of positions this season including left-back, left midfield and right midfield – before returning to his favoured central midfield role over the past few weeks.

He can be deployed in a number of roles in various systems. No job seems too much of an ask.

Another attribute of Brunt’s that will come in use is his work off the pitch.

He recently laid into his team-mates and head coach Alan Pardew after losing to Huddersfield Town.

And it is very likely there will be times next campaign where some hard truths may need to be told.

Brunt strikes you a dressing room leader.

In fact, if Jonny Evans moves on during the summer – and a lot of people believe he will – then the armband should go back to the midfielder.

He served as skipper for three years, between 2011 and 2014, before the honour went to Darren Fletcher – and then on to Evans.

In an era where loyalty is less and less apparent, Brunt is clearly Albion through and through.

He may not be able to play each of the 46 games in the Championship next term, or 38 in the Premier League if a miracle happens, but his superb service should be rewarded by being reinstated as captain.

Brunt has scored 45 goals for the Baggies, making him the most prolific player for the team currently in the squad.

James Morrison is next on 39 while Salomon Rondon is third with 26.

He has seven assists this season too.

And his recent resurgence is even more impressive when you factor in the nasty injury that kept him out of Euro 2016.

Brunt is a class act and if Albion do get the fans back on side next season, he will most likely have played a significant role in doing so.