West Bromwich Albion’s experienced trio of Graidy Diangana, John Swift and Semi Ajayi are all expected to depart the club this summer.
Both Diangana and Swift are out of contract whilst Ajayi has only featured 14 times this season, including picking up several injuries.
Diangana has been at the Baggies since initially joining on loan from West Ham United in 2019. Despite a strong start, the midfielder has only bettered his attacking outcome from 2019-20 once in his six seasons in the midlands.
Swift joined Albion after being highly touted in the Championship and an ever present in a strong Reading team. Until this season, the attacking midfielder has been one of the Baggies strongest attacking outputs, with over 10 goal involvements in both of his first two seasons with the club. This season, Swift has seen his output fall significantly, netting just three times.
After being a consistent starter, this season has been horrible for Ajayi. After falling down the pecking order under Carlos Corberan, the defender has picked up injury after injury, featuring on minimal occasions this season. At 31, he will fall casualty of the club’s attempts to refresh for a play-off push next season.
A Car Crash Ending for The Baggies
This season West Brom were tipped to make the play-offs and maybe even push the Championship’s elite for a promotion place. Things began at a steady pace under Corberan but as form picked up, so did top-flight clubs and their interest int the young manager.
In the end, Corberan would be enticed away by Valencia in La Liga and the club would look to former favourite Tony Mowbray to guide the baggies to a top six finish.
With a run of one win in their last five, West Brom sit tenth with two games to go, six points from Coventry City in sixth. After a 3-1 loss to Derby County on Easter Monday, Mowbray was sacked.
No way round it, a failure of a year for a Baggies squad tipped for the top.
With several underperformers in the squad, the club’s hierarchy is looking to move on some in order to give a new manager space for his identity.
Ajayi doesn’t fit next season’s bill and will be moved on. Diangana and Swift are casualties of their performances and contract timings. At 27 and 29, both players will have suitors in the division and a lot more to give.
