Report: West Brom midfielder Gareth Barry bags contract extension

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West Bromwich Albion fans have not been impressed with Gareth Barry, but they may have to put up with him for a while longer.

According to a report from The Telegraph, Gareth Barry has triggered an extension clause in his West Brom contract, but could still leave the club by mutual consent at the end of the season.

Barry was one of a number of players who joined the Baggies in the summer. At the time, it appeared to be a brilliant window from Tony Pulis, with established stars like the 37-year-old, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Jay Rodriguez coming in, while exciting prospects such as Oliver Burke also arrived.

However, the season has been an incredibly miserable one for everyone associated with West Brom. Relegation from the Premier League appears to be a certainty in the next few weeks and the club are now without a permanent manager after Alan Pardew’s departure.

Like several others, Barry has been extremely poor this season and Baggies fans may have been hoping that his days with the club would be numbered with his initial contract set to expire this summer. Based on their criticism of one of his most recent appearances – the FA Cup defeat to Southampton in February – it would appear that few would shed many tears if he soon left.

However, The Telegraph is now reporting that the former Manchester City ace has made enough appearances to trigger an extension clause in his contract which means, as things stand, he is set to be at the club next season.

But The Telegraph adds that he could still leave at the end of the campaign, with a parting of the ways by mutual consent a potential option that the club may consider.

Blow for West Brom?

With Barry one of the Premier League’s best performers over the last two decades, it is probably not unreasonable to suggest that he is pocketing a very decent wage for a player of his age, so shifting him off the wage bill this summer may have previously been an important piece of business given how poorly he has performed.

It would be little surprise if moving him on was still a priority for the coming months, but it appears that it could now be a much tougher, or much more expensive task for the club.