Comment: Darren Fletcher will leave a big hole at West Brom

A leader and a mentor to many of his team-mates, the former Manchester United midfielder has been head coach Tony Pulis's influential captain for nearly all of his Hawthorns tenure.

Only time will tell what the full impact of his departure will be, and it would be naive to preach doom before the transfer window has shut, let alone before it has even officially opened.

There was concern two years ago when Joleon Lescott was sold to Aston Villa at 33, the same age Fletcher currently is, but that turned out to be the right decision.

However, Albion's small squad continues to grow alarmingly smaller with outgoings dangerously outstripping incomings. There are now just 13 senior outfield players at the club Pulis will use and losing an ever-present captain to a rival will raise serious questions.

There will always be difficult decisions to make while running a football club, and the board has a duty to look after the finances as best it can.

Handing out unnecessarily long contracts to players the wrong side of 30 could prove disastrous down the line, and no doubt agents and clubs are both trying to find the new barometer for player wages this summer as the latest Premier League TV deal comes into play.

If Fletcher asked for too much or too long in the eyes of the board, then they had every right to refuse those demands and enter next season without him. In the end, the club didn't feel they could match Stoke City's offer of a two-year deal with an option of a third.

The good news is central midfield is perhaps the only position currently well-stocked, with Jake Livermore, Claudio Yacob, Sam Field, James Morrison, and even Chris Brunt all capable of playing there.

But the captain's exit could still have serious repercussions. Only a fortnight ago Pulis was 'convinced' the club would be able to encourage Fletcher to sign, and having used him in every single one of the last 91 league games, it's clear he wanted to keep him.

The fact his skipper has been lost to his old club Stoke, and his bitter enemy Mark Hughes, will no doubt infuriate Pulis further.

The head coach was defiant yesterday, saying the team would still make 'progress' this summer, but he will want to see a healthy chunk of Albion's £114million prize money in order to do that.

Fletcher, who still lives near Manchester, is also close to his ex-United team-mate Jonny Evans, and even drove him down to training each day.

Evans is Albion's best player, and the club had to bat away interest last summer from Arsenal. The Northern Irishman still has two years left on his contract, and the Baggies can't afford to sell him this summer, but he may start to get itchy feet too if the squad is not improved.

Ever since Fletcher arrived on a free transfer from Manchester United in February 2015, he has been a calming influence both on and off the pitch, instilling a winning mentality in the group that has kept them going during times of trouble since.

He has won everything in English club football - five Premier Leagues, an FA Cup, two League Cups, and a Champions League - and that experience in the dressing room and on the training ground was invaluable to his team-mates who followed their captain's example and mimicked his professionalism.

After bouncing back impressively from his bout of ulcerative colitis, Fletcher never shirked away from playing, and never gave less than his all.

At the end of the 2015/16 season, he was one of the few players who kept going until the bitter end of a grinding campaign, often dragging the whole team up the pitch with his relentless running. He was subsequently voted supporters' player of the year.

Time moves on of course, and hard work alone is not enough in the Premier League.

His form dipped at times last season, which led to criticism from some fans, but he wasn't helped by decisions made above him by Pulis.

The 33-year-old played through several niggling injuries on a phenomenal 86-game run of consecutive league starts and was often asked to play higher up the pitch than his favoured holding role.

Fletcher is at his most effective when he’s reading the game at the base of midfield and spraying balls out to the wings.

One of his best games recently was away at Burnley, when he was put in a holding role after a long-overdue rest against Leicester.

If managed properly, he could still play an important role for Stoke next season, but Albion must now learn to live without him.

Livermore has been named in the last two England squads, Yacob has just had a quietly brilliant season, and there are high hopes for young Field, who has emerged as the stand-out academy product this year.

On the pitch, the team should cope, especially if a younger replacement is found this summer, but off it, there's no doubt Fletcher's absence will be keenly felt.