Stoke City & Derby County in transfer hunt for ex-West Brom player - he'd cost £0 | OneFootball

Stoke City and Derby County are believed to be among four Championship clubs chasing the signature of the out of contract West Brom winger John Swift.

Stoke City and Derby County are among four clubs currently chasing the signature of out-of-contract West Bromwich Albion attacking midfielder John Swift

With the end of the month coming around and player contracts expiring left, right and centre, the chase is on for clubs to try and pick up those who are available without a transfer fee attached.

And West Brom playmaker Swift - whose contract expires today (June 30) - is attracting a considerable amount of interest.

Stoke and Derby both need remedial work following bottom-half finishes in the 2024-25 Championship.

These two clubs finished 18th and 19th respectively in the table, just above the relegation places, and both have rebuilding work to do ahead of the new season.

Stoke City & Derby County lead John Swift chase - Portsmouth have dropped out

Birmingham World have reported that there has been considerable interest in Swift ahead of his West Brom exit.

They report that four clubs have a definite interest in the 30-year-old midfielder, and that Swift has already met with two managers over his next move.

Stoke and Derby are confirmed as having an interest in him, but the identity of the other two remains unknown.

But they also report that others who have previously been reported to have expressed an interest in Swift may be reconsidering.

Among those not interested are Portsmouth, who they say, "believe they can sign an alternative playmaker for a lower salary".

England doesn't have to be Swift's only option, either.

It is also reported that clubs from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States are eyeing up Swift, so there could well be offers from outside the Championship for the ex-Chelsea man to weigh up.

John Swift needed a fresh start away from West Brom - Derby or Stoke could give him that

John Swift went through a difficult 2024-25 season with West Brom, as he unable to hold down a permanent place in the first-team as the Baggies sought a play-off place.

Swift is a Chelsea academy graduate with a lot of experience. He made his top flight debut for them in the Premier League against Cardiff in April 2013, and despite being called "Chelsea's new Frank Lampard" by some at the time, this brief cameo turned out to be his only League appearance for the club.

Loan spells at Rotherham, Swindon and Brentford followed before he moved to Reading in 2016, and he's been a Championship stalwart ever since.

Over the nine years since then, Swift has only played for two clubs, making 202 appearances for Reading over six years and 126 for West Bromwich Albion after signing for them on a free transfer in 2022.

Now that his contract has expired, it's unsurprising that there is interest from elsewhere.

Swift had a difficult last season at The Hawthorns when it came to playing regular football. Of his 36 league appearances for West Brom, only six were for a full 90 minutes and at the end of the season he was one of fourteen players on their released list.

Despite this, Swift's vast experience of this division will be of interest to Championship clubs. Swift is an out-and-out attacking midfielder, and it may be that his next club finds a more regular use for him than West Brom did in his final season.

Stoke and Derby could both do with some added creativity in the final third to supply their attackers with ahead of the upcoming season, and Swift could fit the bill if either can get a deal done.