West Bromwich Albion shot-stopper Josh Griffiths is set to undergo a medical at Portsmouth today as he looks set to finalise a season-long loan deal, according to an update from talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook.

The 20-year-old was a regular for struggling third-tier side Lincoln City last term, performing admirably despite only being able to keep two league clean sheets during his time at the LNER Stadium.

This move to the third tier came after he won the League Two title with Cheltenham Town, standing out as one of the Gloucestershire outfit's most valuable players during the 2020/21 season.

 

 

With two seasons of EFL football under his belt, it was previously unclear whether he would get the chance to impress at The Hawthorns in the next 12 months, with Sam Johnstone leaving the club for Crystal Palace on the expiration of his contract this summer.

This opened up a senior spot for Griffiths with Steve Bruce not planning to bring in another shot-stopper - but David Button and Alex Palmer look set to be the 61-year-old's main options between the sticks during 2022/23.

With this, Albion are set to sanction a loan move away for the 20-year-old who is thought to have had plenty of offers on the table this summer but has opted to arrive on the south coast.

The Verdict:

From Albion's point of view, they are probably wise to send him out on loan considering that he probably won't be one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Baggies during 2022/23.

There's a real chance he could be a starter next season and beyond that - but throwing him in the deep end may harm his development and that's the last thing Bruce will want to do considering how promising the 20-year-old is.

For Pompey, they will find it difficult to find a replacement for Gavin Bazunu but Griffiths is someone that will only get better and already has a decent amount of EFL experience under his belt, making him the ideal candidate to come in.

They may have Alex Bass as a backup option in the goalkeeping department anyway, so bringing the young stopper in isn't too much of a gamble and should help them to force their way into the promotion mix.

And from the player's point of view, he will be excited at the prospect of following Bazunu but there will be big expectations at Fratton Park because of this and this is why he's brave to make the move to the south coast.