Chris Brunt set to trigger West Brom contract extension

The long-serving Albion man is currenlty contracted until the end of this season, but included in his deal signed last February is a 12-month extension based on appearances.

Brunt has featured 21 times for the Baggies this campaign and will trigger that extension if he plays on the south coast this weekend.

Next season will be his 12th at The Hawthorns following his £3.5million move from Sheffield Wednesday back in August 2007.

He currenly has 366 appearances for the Baggies, putting him in the top 25 of the all-time club charts.

He recently stated his desire to reach 400 Albion games, but he would need to reach 450 in order to break into the top 10 all-time appearance-makers.

Brunt has scored 45 goals for the Baggies, making him the most prolific player for the team currently in the squad. James Morrison is next on 39 while Salomon Rondon is third with 26.

He has seven assists this season, and has played in a variety of position in the campaign, including left-back, left midfield, and right midfield.

However, in recent games, Alan Pardew has played him in central midfield alongside Grzegorz Krychowiak and Jake Livermore.

Brunt is expected to keep his place in the team for this weekend’s match at the Vitality Stadium while Krychowiak’s is under threat following his touchline bust-up with Pardew last weekend.

The Northern Irishman recent form is even more impressive following his recovery from a nasty knee injury that ruled him out of Euro 2016.

“The medical team here are really good, they’re always looking to find anything that can help, particularly with recovery,” he said, recently.

“You might not play as many games as 20 years ago but the intensity of the games now is getting greater every year, fitness levels in teams are constantly going up and especially when you play in midweek, playing again after three days is hard.

“When I first cam here, that recovery side wasn’t something I looking into. Obviously I was younger, but playing games in quick succession was easier because the intensity wasn’t what it was now.

“You have to look after yourself more as you get older obviously, but if you look at every player in the Premier League now, they’re athletes.”