West Bromwich Albion are hoping to discuss a new contract with Claudio Yacob at the end of the season.
The Baggies hierarchy would certainly be forgiven for starting to make plans for next season. Survival in the Premier League is still mathematically possible, but with 10 points separating them from safety and only 15 to play for, it is looking incredibly bleak for a team that has won once in the league since August and faces Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur before the campaign concludes.
The fans will be bracing themselves for a summer that will surely see a number of their players leave The Hawthorns – that may not be a terrible thing after this year – and with Yacob’s deal expiring, they may have perhaps expected the Argentinian to be one of those who moved on.
However, the Express and Star has suggested that talks between the 30-year-old and the Baggies over a new contract are expected once the campaign concludes, so perhaps he may follow Ben Foster’s lead and commit to stick around even if they find themselves in the second tier.
Boost for West Brom?
Yacob may not be the kind of player that will have several Premier League clubs sniffing around him in the summer like some of his teammates will, but he is a decent option to have in the middle of the park and has arguably been one of the players in the Baggies squad who has received some praise in recent months.
His work-rate is often applauded by the supporters and held up as a yardstick that several of his teammates do not get close to, and that may be the kind of player that the Baggies need if they are going to stand a chance of bouncing straight back up.
It may not be the most exciting deal that West Brom could get done this summer, but agreeing an extension with Yacob could be a very decent piece of business indeed.
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