"It's a shame" - West Brom, Carlos Corberan backed following significant contract dilemma | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Bromwich Albion will be looking to build on a largely successful season as the year move towards the summer transfer window.

Since taking over the reins at The Hawthorns in October 2022, Carlos Corberan and his backroom team have performed wonders to progress the club on the pitch, despite being restricted on their resources for a large period of time.

Of course, the financial landscape of the club will now be drastically different heading into the 2024/25 campaign, in what will be Shilen Patel's first full season as Baggies chairman after his takeover was confirmed in late February.

With that, Corberan's squad will also undergo a rebuild, with the club's retained and released list recently published after their defeat to Southampton in the Championship Play-Off semi-finals.

West Brom fan pundit issues Matt Phillips verdict following exit

In the aforementioned released and retained list, several experienced players who were coming to the conclusion of their respective contracts will leave B71 over the course of the coming weeks.

One of those is Matt Phillips, with the versatile winger seeking pastures new for the first time since 2016, having joined Albion from Queens Park Rangers for a reported £5.5 million fee.

FLW's West Brom fan pundit, Matt Smith, has praised Phillips for his contributions over the years, but ultimately believes it was the right time for all parties to move on.

"It's a funny one with Matt Phillips," Matt told Football League World.

"I think a lot of Albion fans didn't expect how gutted they'd be when his departure was announced, because he's been at the club for a few years now, which has aligned with our downfall."

"Obviously, he's not to blame, but any player that's been at the club for so long during such a disappointing period hasn't really hit the heights that they'd want to."

"He had a good season as well before getting injured against Leicester, and at that time you're probably thinking if he keeps his form up, he'd definitely be worth another year, whereas if we'd got promoted, arguably not.

"It's a shame because on his day, he's a really good performer, and always has been for Albion, but you've got to move on as a club at the same time and this is a natural step."

West Brom urged to replace Matt Phillips with proven quality

The former Blackpool winger has always been a steady Championship performer over the years, as well as his stints in the Premier League.

Therefore, it's no surprise that whilst Phillips is reaching the latter stages of his career, Smith has urged the club to make sure an adequate replacement is sourced.

"It depends who we bring in. I think if we can use the wages that will be freed up and we can bring someone like (Mikey) Johnston back to the club, then it's probably worth it," Matt added.

"But, if we don't sign an effective replacement or someone that can't perform, then I think you can do a lot worse than Matt Phillips as well.

"It's probably a natural time (to part ways) and therefore the right decision, but only time will tell if it's the correct one - at least in the short term."

Potential West Brom replacements for Matt Phillips

Despite not being a first-choice winger across the 2023/24 campaign, Phillips still made 26 appearances and 19 starts in the regular season, so it's imperative Albion can target players who can match or better those standards.

As Matt referenced, West Brom could do no worse than try to re-sign Johnston, who was a consistent performer across his loan spell from Celtic, but being under contract at Parkhead until 2026 means that the Hoops will no doubt demand a respectable fee - although the Republic of Ireland international's future north of the border is rather questionable.

Furthermore, Josh Murphy is another winger who has been mooted as a potential signing, with the 29-year-old holding previous second tier pedigree with Norwich City and Cardiff City, as well as being Oxford United's two-goal hero in the League One play-off final against Bolton Wanderers.

All in all, Albion fans will be hoping a suitable replacement is found, as well as someone who can match Phillips' longevity, with the Scotland international featuring 255 times for the club in all competitions, scoring 31 times.