This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
West Brom are considering a summer move for Newcastle United defender Ciaran Clark, as per a report from Newcastle World.
Clark, who did not appear in the Magpies' 25-man squad for the second half of this campaign when squads were announced in January, still has another year left on his contract at St James' Park.
With interest in Cedric Kipre flooding in, and Matt Clarke returning to Brighton, bolstering the defence seems to be fairly high up on the priority list as summer nears.
The 32-year-old has been confined to 13 appearances in the league this season, however, he has accumulated over 200 Premier League appearances over the course of his career thus far.
Three of our writers here at FLW have shared their thoughts regarding West Brom's interest in the Newcastle man...
Declan Harte
Bruce worked with Clark when he was Newcastle manager so will know the Irishman’s qualities well.
The 31-year-old has fallen completely out of favour under Eddie Howe at St James’ Park, but there is still plenty he could offer at this level.
The defender would come with a lot of experience and is a solid centre-back.
While this wouldn’t be the most imaginative or inspiring signing ever, it would still be a solid addition to the Baggies’ squad.
While he can be quite error-prone, he is generally dependable, strong in the air and will give everything for the team.
Josh Cole
Whereas West Brom will need to bolster their defensive options when Matt Clarke's loan deal expires at the end of May, they should avoid making a move for Ciaran Clark this summer.
Although the defender possesses a wealth of experience, his performances for Newcastle United earlier this season were incredibly underwhelming.
During the 13 league games that he participated in for the Magpies, Clark recorded a poor average WhoScored match rating of 6.24 and has subsequently slipped down the pecking order at St James' Park since the turn of the year.
With there being no guarantee that he will be able to deliver the goods on a consistent basis in the Championship next season following his dip in form, West Brom ought to look elsewhere for a new defender.
Alfie Burns
It's not something I'd be 100% on if I were a West Brom fan, in all honesty.
Clark hasn't had a very big impact at Newcastle in recent years and feels like a player on the decline at this moment in time.
West Brom probably need to source a replacement for Matt Clarke in the summer if he moves on, although, even if they don't, centre-back still isn't really striking me as a problem position - not so problematic that you need to be bringing Clarke in.
There's Semi Ajayi signed up on a new contract, plus Dara O'Shea too.
For me, that pair should be Bruce's go-to options, potentially with a third body if he wishes to play a wing-back system.
However, there's better out there than Clark.
Someone like Matt Clarke returning isn't out of the question and it's probably safe to say he'd be a far better signing than the Newcastle defender, who has rapidly fallen out of favour at St James' Park.