Football League World
·26 October 2024
Football League World
·26 October 2024
The midfielder has failed to make much of an impact for the Baggies during the 24/25 campaign
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 put themselves in a spot to battle for promotion to the Premier League once again this season, having missed out in the Championship play-offs last time around.
Carlos Corberan has established a side that looks capable of competing with the very best in the second tier, with a well-drilled unit keeping pace with the leading pack as we head into November.
Consistency in the starting eleven has been key for the Spaniard during the early stages of the 24/25 campaign, with only Swansea City using less than the 21 players Albion have given game time to since the season got underway.
As a result, Jed Wallace has seen his game time limited of late, leaving Football League World’s West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess questioning the club captain’s future at the club.
Since making the move to the Hawthorns in the summer of 2022, Wallace had been Mr Reliable for Corberan and the Albion side, with 88 appearances across the past two Championship campaigns speaking for itself.
It has been a different story this season though, with the former Millwall man having to make do with a spot on the bench more often than not, with late cameo appearances as much as he can muster to date.
It took until the start of October for the midfielder to claim a first league start of the season, as he played 53 minutes in a 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in the Black Country, before taking up his usual spot in the dugout for the fixtures to follow.
With the likes of Karlan Grant, Tom Fellows and Mikey Johnston ahead of him in the pecking order on the flanks, the 30-year-old’s race looks to be run for Albion, with Burgess failing to see a future for him at the club past next summer.
When asked about the midfielder’s situation, the Baggies fan said: “I don’t think you can see a reality where Jed Wallace is still a West Bromwich Albion player next season.
“One of the main arguments about keeping Jed Wallace at the club doesn’t seem to be football related anymore, it seems to be about his personality in the dressing room.
“When he is making substitute appearances you can really see that he has lost that bit of quality, which meant that he was a mainstay in the Millwall team for such a long period of time and hitting great numbers."
To go from being something of a mainstay in the Albion side to an afterthought in such a short period of time has left Wallace biding his time for an opportunity to prove himself once again this season.
Barring injuries and suspension, breaking back into the first-team looks a tough task for the ex-Portsmouth player, who has struggled to impact games during his second-half arrivals into games at the start of 24/25.
It will be unsurprising to see that the midfielder’s shot-creating actions per 90 minutes has dropped off massively due to his last arrivals into matches, with 1.88 this season compared to 3.36 in his first year at the club, and 2.81 in the last campaign.
While there is no question that Wallace has been a great servant to the club during his time at the Hawthorns, Burgess has seen enough evidence in the past two months to suggest a parting of ways will be best for all involved by the time next summer comes around.
He continued: “Particularly at the start of this season, I think that the quality that Wallace used to have seems to have really dropped off. Even when he is playing up front or on the wing, he doesn’t seem to have that creative spark anymore.
“For example, when we were 1-0 up against Oxford, he had a chance when he was played down the wing, and had two opportunities where he could found teammates in the middle, but when he did get the ball into the box it was a really poor attempt that was easily cleared by the Oxford defence.
“I think that sums up the downturn in quality from Jed Wallace in the last few months, and while it is a shame, you can’t ask for more fro a club captain with his personality.