Promotion chasers West Bromwich Albion have cooled their interest in Swansea City's Jamie Paterson following his refusal to appear for Russell Martin's side last weekend, according to the Express and Star.

This refusal came amid a contract dispute between the player and the club, with the former previously expecting to have been on much better terms than what he's currently on after emerging as a crucial player at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Linking up superbly with fellow summer signing Joel Piroe earlier in the season, he has recorded eight goals and four assists in 22 league appearances for the South Wales outfit this term, becoming one of the surprise packages of the EFL after being released by Bristol City at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

However, he is at risk of derailing his season after choosing not to play against Huddersfield Town last weekend and manager Martin has not ruled out the possibility of him leaving the club this month, though he has kept the door open for the 30-year-old if he wants to return.

He isn't likely to be short of interest if Swansea actively look to move him on later in the window, something that can't be ruled out with the Welsh outfit certainly not afraid to cash in on some of their most important players.

Back in November, the advanced midfield was reported to be the subject of interest from West Brom and other second-tier sides after an impressive start to the season, but the former have now pulled out of the race, as per the Express and Star.

This is said to be due to the 30-year-old's actions off the pitch, although full details of his contract terms and what happened behind the scenes haven't been published at this stage.

The Verdict:

It's probably best to let this situation unfold without coming to conclusions already - because he could return and put this issue aside in the coming weeks - perhaps even returning to his best when he's in the right state of mind to play again.

Mentally, he has to be in tip-top condition if he wants to replicate his performances from earlier in the campaign, so last weekend's decision for him to remain out of the first-team squad was probably a beneficial one.

The recent situation may be troubling for the Baggies who may now have reservations about his attitude - but even they probably won't fully know what's happened behind the scenes - so it may be a rash decision to focus on others purely because of this.

Nonetheless, Albion won't want to be spending too much time trying to negotiate a deal for the 30-year-old if he isn't guaranteed to leave the Swansea.com Stadium, although a player of his calibre could help to provide a creative spark.

Their inability to be clinical has been highlighted many times - but the quality of their chances and play in the final third as a whole hasn't been good enough and this is where Paterson could be particularly useful at The Hawthorns.