West Bromwich Albion have scouted John Swift with the midfielder set to leave Championship rivals Reading on a free transfer, as reported by the Express and Star.
Before that dismal 4-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, Baggies boss Steve Bruce went public with his desire for a ‘major overhaul’ at the Hawthorns.
Five or six new signings, he says, may be required if West Brom are to bounce back from their worst season in the 21st Century and force their way into the play-off picture next term.
And there is one position, in particular, that Bruce is determined to strengthen. Scoring just 47 goals in 43 games – fewer than Bristol City, Blackpool and Reading – the manager believes that a creative midfielder, one to fill the void vacated by Matheus Pereira, is a must.
“I think it’s fair to say we have to be a bit more creative,” Bruce tells the Birmingham Mail.
“We have to score more. That’s no disrespect to what we’ve got, but we have to add a bit of balance and flair to the squad because we need it.”
That’s where Swift comes in.
A Swift kick in the pants for Reading
The former England U21 international has 11 goals and 13 assists for a Reading side who have spent much of the campaign at the wrong end of the table. Only one player at West Brom has scored more goals than Swift (Karlan Grant) while no one has provided quite so many assists in 2021/22.
Swift will be a free-agent in July. And, according to the Express and Star, West Brom have sent scouts to watch the former Chelsea youngster on numerous occasions.
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The Whites have switched their attention to Brenden Aaronson and Flynn Downes, however, following Marcelo Bielsa’s departure.
“Swift is a great player,” Bielsa told Leeds Live in February 2020.
“I value him a lot. He is a player who appears suddenly in attack and the same in transition between defence and attack.”
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