West Bromwich Albion are ready to sever ties with midfielder Robert Snodgrass during the January transfer window after being omitted from manager Valerien Ismael's plans, according to The Sun's Alan Nixon.

The 34-year-old has made just 14 league appearances for the Baggies during his time at The Hawthorns so far, arriving in January this year but was ruled out in April with a back injury, an issue that required surgery as he missed the latter stages of last term and the opening games of this season.

Making his return against Derby County in mid-September but failing to make another league appearance for over a month, he came on in the final stages of the West Midlands outfit's defeat at Swansea City before starting against Bristol City in the following match in Jake Livermore and Alex Mowatt's absence.

 

 

He retained his place in the starting lineup for the next three games but hasn't even been in the matchday squad since then, missing Albion's last three outings against Huddersfield Town, Blackpool and Nottingham Forest.

It was reported by The Sun journalist Nixon on Sunday that he was no longer in the club's first-team plans and would be made available for transfer, though it is currently unclear whether he will return for the next match against Coventry City at the weekend with Jayson Molumby now suspended after his red card against Forest.

With this news on his potential departure emerging, we have weighed up whether the second-tier side should be looking to sell or retain him.

Sell?

Signing him in January whilst they were in the Premier League, Snodgrass is unlikely to be on a modest salary and as the club's clear fourth-choice midfielder, cashing in on him in January instead of the summer to save money could make sense.

Not only would his sale be beneficial in the Baggies' quest to abide by the EFL's profit and sustainability rules, but it may also give them room on their wage bill to make a further one or two additions during the winter window, a potentially crucial period for Ismael's side's season with a striker and another centre-back potentially at the top of their wishlist.

Considering he's currently behind Livermore, Mowatt and Molumby in the pecking order, this is a sale they could afford to make and bearing in mind how much of a success the former two were as a pair earlier in the season, with Ismael making Livermore a key player again and Mowatt a key favourite of the Frenchman's from their time together at Barnsley last season, he's unlikely to be a regular starter.

And considering he's 34, he may not be in the club's longer-term plans unless he becomes part of the coaching staff at The Hawthorns, although that doesn't look like a possibility at this stage.

In their quest to get back to the Premier League and stay there, the former Scotland international probably won't be a huge part of that, especially under Ismael and his high-intensity system.

Keep?

Considering the lack of options Albion currently have in the middle of the park, this seems like a strange decision unless Quevin Castro is ready to make the step up or there's a deal in the pipeline for another central midfielder to come in.

For a side that have endured a high level of turnover in the midfield department during the summer though, losing an experienced professional in Snodgrass would be a blow, because it's figures like him that are needed in the midfield to provide stability and composure in the dressing room at tough times with his previous playing time in the top flight.

A replacement would be needed if he was to leave as well, leaving the club's recruitment team with even more work to do when they desperately need to focus on other areas.

It's clear a forward needs to be at the top of their agenda with their inability to be clinical in front of goal - something that needs to be their main focus during the winter window as opposed to addressing their midfield area.

Focusing more on the short term, both Molumby and Livermore are suspended for their upcoming match against Coventry on Saturday afternoon, leaving Mowatt and the 34-year-old as manager Ismael's only senior options in the middle.

This just emphasises how important he could be for the remainder of the season, because a man of his quality low down in the pecking order is a symbol of the strength in depth needed to get West Brom back to the English top tier at the first time of asking.

It's also uncertain whether he will be the subject of offers in January anyway, so instead of wasting energy trying to offload him, keeping him until the end of the campaign will probably be worthwhile.