West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Josh Griffiths is set to complete a move to League One outfit Bristol Rovers.
The goalkeeper is ready to complete his move to the League One club ahead of the new season, marking another spell in the third tier for the goalkeeper, who has previously been on loan with Championship new boys Portsmouth and Lincoln City.
The keeper’s progress at the Hawthorns has been stunted by the emergence of Alex Palmer, who has solidified himself as first choice keeper for the Baggies, who are readying their squad with another signing in the goalkeeping department ahead of the new season.
New signing for West Bromwich Albion.
According to Birmingham Live, who have also reported that Griffiths is set for his move to Rovers, the club are in the stages of completing the signing of former Derby County goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith. The 28-year-old was part of the Rams side that won promotion from the third tier last campaign and is set to join following his contract expiring at Pride Park.
With new contracts being agreed and Palmer’s role as first choice at the Hawthorns, Griffiths seems to be falling further down the pecking order with the arrival of Wildsmith imminent. However, developments behind the scenes would make it appear that the 22-year-old is still valued by the Baggies.
West Bromwich Albion plan for Griffiths.
The 22-year-old still has more than two years remaining on his deal with Carlos Corberan’s side, signing a contract extension last week that commits his future to the club until 2027.
This could indicate that the plan is to continue the development of Griffiths, who, despite having more than 100 senior appearances to his name in the EFL, only 13 of those have come with the Baggies’ first team, including three cup games last season.
Loan spells for the once-capped England youth international have seen him feature for Lincoln City in League One and Portsmouth, where he kept nine clean sheets in 55 appearances in the third tier. The Hereford-born goalkeeper has a League Two title to his name also when he was part of Cheltenham Town’s promotion-winning team in the 2019/20 season.
Bristol Rovers loan spell for goalkeeper.
According to Bristol Live, Griffiths could be in line to be a part of Rovers’ squad for their upcoming friendly against non-league side Bath City on Saturday. They would be getting themselves a goalkeeper with a vast amount of first-team experience in the EFL at a young age, meaning he has a lot of room to grow and develop during his loan spell.
An impressive loan spell would be both a positive and a negative for the Gas, as it is clear that West Brom plan on keeping him around by tying him to a new deal last week. With the future having looked uncertain for a while last season following Joey Barton’s departure, Gas fans will be looking to kick on and finish in a respectable position next year. The hope would appear to be that Griffiths could help achieve that goal.
