Stoke City boss Michael O’Neill has said the club will have to wait until Romaine Sawyers’ situation at West Brom is resolved before holding any talks about his future.
After falling out of favour with West Brom in the early stages of the season, Sawyers linked up with Championship rivals Stoke City on loan for the rest of the season.
Although much of the midfielder’s time with the Potters has been disrupted by injury, Sawyers has been a popular selection choice for manager O’Neill when fit. Before injury struck, the former Walsall and Brentford man made 19 appearances for Stoke City, managing two goals and three assists in the process.
There are question marks surrounding Sawyers’ future beyond the end of this season though.
The St. Kitts and Nevis international’s deal with West Brom expires this summer, although the Baggies do hold the option to extend his deal by a further 12 months. However, it remains unknown if the club will look to do that.
Now, Stoke City boss O’Neill has moved to open up on the Potters’ stance on his future, telling Stoke on Trent Live that Sawyers’ situation at West Brom will have be resolved before he speaks with the player about a potential stay.
“It’s out of our control really because West Brom have an option on Romaine,” O’Neill said.
“It’s not a choice we would have (like with James Chester). Romaine would have to sort his situation out with his parent club first.
“Assuming that is favourable we would obviously be having a discussion about whether Romaine feels we’re right for him and we feel he’s right for us.
“We want him to have a strong finish to the season because he has fitted into the club very well. Personally, I like him as a lad, he’s a really good footballer and I think he’s enjoyed his time here. The only unfortunate thing he’s had is this quad injury he picked up.”
Until then…
In the meantime, Sawyers will be remaining focused on breaking back into O’Neill’s starting XI at Stoke City.
A late push for the play-offs isn’t out of the realms of possibility just yet but it could prove to be a step too far for the Potters. On a personal level, Sawyers will be determined to impress in the final months of the season given that he could be in the shop window this summer.
The midfielder is in line for a return against Bournemouth this weekend after returning to the bench against Luton Town.
