Chris Brunt is planning to stay and help rebuild West Brom next season
Chris Brunt is planning to stay at Albion next season and he's predicting several senior players will follow suit because the club means a lot to them.
Brunt has become the second player after goalkeeper Ben Foster to confirm he wants to stay at The Hawthorns even if relegation is confirmed.
And he believes there is an appetite to stay among the group of senior professionals who have been at the Baggies for a long time.
“I’d say so because it’s disappointing," he said. “We’ve all been here a long time and worked hard to get into the Premier League and there’s a fair chance it will be taken away from us.
“At this stage in your career it’s disappointing but for a few of us the club means a lot and you don’t get that very often in football nowadays.
“Players tend to come and go quite a lot and we’ve got a group of lads who have been here a long time and seen worse times than these and will hopefully know what to do to get the club going back in the right direction.
“It’s going to be a big summer for everybody and a tough one for some people at board level.
“It will be no different to any other summer. People will come and people will go and it’s up to us to make sure we get the right ones in to try to push in whatever division we’re in.
“We don’t want to admit defeat yet because over the last few weeks we’ve given ourselves a bit of a glimmer of hope and you’ve got to try to cling onto that for as long as you can.
“But realistically we’re going to have to put a squad together to try to bounce back from a tough division and we need to make sure we get the balance right because over the last 18 months we’ve probably got it wrong."
Brunt triggered a 12-month contract extension based on appearances earlier this season and is planning to enter his 12th season at the Baggies next term.
The 33-year-old is still an integral part of the team. Not only has he worn the armband for the past three games, but it was his dead ball deliveries that led to both of Albion's goals in Saturday's late fight back against Liverpool.
“I’ve triggered next year as an option," he said. "I will be here next year unless anybody tells me otherwise, unless somebody comes in with drastic new ideas.
"Everybody has to accept their bit of responsibility for what’s gone on this year and I’m no different.
“I think if we can get the right blend and the right mix next year and have a good go it could be a positive season for us."
