West Brom set for a big boost involving £15k-a-week star – it’s very much needed | OneFootball

The Baggies are set to be buoyed by the return of Kyle Bartley for their crunch match against Leeds United.

In a match that could prove crucial to their play-off hopes, West Brom make the trip to Yorkshire to take on promotion-chasing Leeds United at Elland Road this weekend.

The Baggies propelled themselves back into the top six with a routine 2-0 victory over Oxford United last weekend, jumping above Blackburn Rovers into fifth place, with 51 points taken from their 34 Championship outings.

In one of their biggest tests of the season, Albion travel to Leeds, who are in a strong position to secure a return to the Premier League after a two-year absence.

Tony Mowbray’s men will be looking to spoil the party and make a statement of intent to the rest of the division with a positive result, but they will have to make sure they are resolute defensively for the whole 90+ minutes.

Thankfully, Albion will have a better chance of doing so as Kyle Bartley is set to return after serving a three-match ban for his sending off against Sheffield Wednesday.

The £15k-a-week star's return will be much welcomed, with his partnership with Torbjorn Heggem likely to be critical to the Baggies picking up a positive result on Saturday lunchtime.

Kyle Bartley return vital after Semi Ajayi injury setback

Kyle Bartley returning to the starting XI is timely given the Baggies were dealt another injury blow defensively in their victory over Oxford.

After recently making his way into Tony Mowbray’s plans at The Hawthorns, Semi Ajayi was withdrawn late into the first half, appearing to have aggravated a hamstring issue that had kept him out since October 2024.

The Nigerian international, had provided the much-needed pace, physicality and athleticism partnering Torbjorn Heggem, and his absence will be fully felt with depth so crucial in such an important stage of the season.

To much relief, Bartley will be able to offer similar attributes to Ajayi, with his towering frame and aerial presence in both boxes important for keeping Albion compact.

Over the course of the season, central defender Bartley has won 75% of his aerial duals, recorded an 88.2% pass accuracy, 19 interceptions and 56 ball recoveries.

Such impressive numbers prove how imperative Bartley is going to be to maintaining a solid defensive unit, and the imposing figures of him and Heggem will be vital to stifling the Leeds attack and limiting the hosts to as few opportunities as possible.

West Brom will hope for a defensive clean bill of health

Moving forward, Albion will be praying that there are no more defensive injury problems, with the club now only having three fit and recognised central defender options.

There is a concern over Mason Holgate re-entering the frame should Kyle Bartley or Torbjorn Heggem have to miss out future games, with the Everton loanee failing to possess the height or physicality required to be a top defender at Championship level.