John Swift contract view as renewed West Brom form could raise tough end of season question

The 29-year-old playmaker had endured an indifferent season at Albion under former boss Carlos Corberan, and found himself in and out of the side.

However, since the arrival of Tony Mowbray in January, Swift has been a regular fixture in the side and among Mowbray's comments in press conferences.

Right from his initial unveiling, Mowbray talked about the former Reading man, questioning why a player of his talent had not regularly been among the Albion starting line-up.

His words and his influence seemed to have made an impact on the midfielder - who has featured in eight of Mowbray's first ten games in charge.

Five of those appearances have come from the start, and all of his three goals for Albion this season have been under Mowbray.

There has been a noticeable impact on Swift, not just with his goals but in his performances and his influence on games under the new manager.

He set up Albion's equaliser in the superb draw at Leeds, and netted a stunning free kick as they earned another good point at Burnley on Tuesday.

His upturn in form comes at a time when he has just a matter of months left on his contract, with Swift one of a handful of senior Albion players out of contract.

A few months ago, the easy prediction to make would have been that Swift would be moved on in the summer.

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Although he has made an impact in spells at the club, and has netted 18 goals in 114 games since his arrival as a free agent in 2022 - his consistency has at times been questioned.

He had a good start to life at Albion under Steve Bruce, and early last season under Corberan, he had arguably his best run at the club, with six goals in 12 matches before being hit with injuries.

After an indifferent season so far, he is now back to form under Mowbray and having a big impact - which begs the question of what will now happen in the summer?

Mowbray has spoken of his admiration for the playmaker, but has remained tightlipped on any specifics when it comes to out of contract players. He explained last week that he is due to meeting with owner Shilen Patel and sporting director Andrew Nestor for discussions.

Swift, his form and how Mowbray views the playmaker will no doubt make up those discussions, but is his current run of form a little late for Albion to offer him a new deal in the summer?

My personal view is that Albion will move Swift on in the summer - however, there is a world where they could offer him a new deal, should Mowbray be pushing his corner.

He can no doubt continue to have an impact at Albion, certainly if they are in the Championship, but the terms would have to be right. Albion may now be willing or in the position to offer Swift a deal similar to the one he came in on.

In 2022, they picked him up on a free transfer, but since then the club have had to cut the wage bill and their cloth accordingly, to sort out the off field financial situation left by the previous ownership.

If they offered him reduced terms, would Mowbray's backing and his admiration for the playmaker be enough to want him to stay? There is no question that if he was released, he would be snapped up by another club in the division immediately.

This debate wouldn't have been on the table a few months ago, but his form means the question has been raised. The answer to it may depend on how he and Albion end this season.