West Bromwich Albion‘s veteran midfielder Gareth Barry was weighing up his options before committing his future at the Hawthorns and now the experienced Englishman has decided that he will exercise his chance to extend his contract for one more year. He reportedly turned up for their pre-season training.
West Brom went down to the Championship and it was expected that quite a few players will be leaving the club in the summer. However, Barry has decided to stay put and help the Baggies regain promotion back to the Premier League.
The midfielder featured more than 25 times last season and thus got an opportunity to extend his contract with the club. The 37-year-old was involved in a controversy in February as he and his other teammates allegedly stole a taxi in Barcelona which brought a lot of shame to the club. The player was booed in quite a few games and it felt like the fans wanted the club to part ways with the player but it seems like the player is set to stay at the club for another year.
Barry might not have been that effective in the top flight but he will certainly come in handy in the Championship. He has made a record number of appearances in the Premier League and he is reaching the twilight of his career. Darren Moore cannot solely depend on him and will have to look in to bring an able backup option for him. However, he will certainly benefit by having an experienced head like Barry around the club.
Even as late as the 2015-16 campaign, when he was with Everton, he won the player of the season for the Merseyside club and that goes to show how effective he was even at this stage of his career. He might not have the legs to cover the field but he makes up for it with his intelligent play and good positional sense.
Having a player like Barry also helps the younger players of the squad and the former England international will certainly be a figure to look up to in the dressing room.
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He might not be the most popular figure at the Hawthorns currently because of the controversy in Spain, but the club will need every ounce of his experience to deal with the rat race in the Championship. He will not be expected to start week in week out but Darren Moore can go on to use him smartly to prepare for life in the second division.
