West Brom star backed to leave as Stoke City circle - it's in his 'best interest' | OneFootball

Stoke City are interested in West Brom's Josh Griffiths, who had a difficult season for Albion, as he failed to establish himself as the number one.

West Brom enjoyed a very positive end to the season under former player James Morrison, after what had been a turbulent campaign for the club.

The decision to appoint Ryan Mason didn’t work out, and when his successor, Eric Ramsay, also failed, it meant the Baggies were facing a real battle to stay in the Championship.

However, Morrison more than steadied the ship, as he made Albion very difficult to beat, found a system that suited the group, and created a spirit and unity that the fans appreciated.

So, it was no surprise that he landed the job on a permanent basis, and the 40-year-old will now be working towards putting his own mark on the squad going into the 2026/27 season.

Josh Griffiths backed to leave West Brom in search of first-team football

There will be excitement about who Morrison can bring in, but he will also know that he needs to move players on, with Albion having paid the price for breaching EFL financial rules this season.

Therefore, it could be a busy summer at The Hawthorns, and one player facing an uncertain future is goalkeeper Josh Griffiths.

The academy graduate made 24 appearances for Albion last season, but it’s fair to say he didn’t always convince, with Morrison opting for Max O’Leary during the run-in.

At 24, Griffiths is nowhere near his peak, and it has been claimed that Stoke City are monitoring the stopper as they look to strengthen their group.

And, when quizzed about the prospect of a transfer, FLW's West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess admitted that a move may benefit the keeper at this stage of his career, even if he wasn’t sure about Stoke as a destination.

“There was a lot of hope that Griffiths would follow the same trajectory that Alex Palmer did after he broke into the side. He’d waited a long period of time, had several loan spells, but I probably think it’s in Griffiths’ best interest to leave this summer.

“There have been two separate occasions when he has lost his place in the Albion XI. At first, Ryan Mason chose Joe Wildsmith, which he shouldn’t have done, and then performances and results took a downturn, so he tried to bring him back in.

“Then Max O’Leary arrived when Eric Ramsay was in charge, so losing his spot twice is going to be difficult for him to bounce back from. There was a lot of excitement when he came through the academy, with Dwight Gayle saying he was one of the best shot-stoppers he’d worked with.

“But I think it’s for the best that he goes somewhere where he is number one. I’m not sure if that will happen at Stoke City, but I can see why Griffiths and Albion would look to part ways this summer.”

Josh Griffiths needs to be playing regularly to fulfil his potential

Griffiths has been very highly-rated at Albion over the years, and he had a few very successful loan spells, notably at Cheltenham and Portsmouth.

But, sadly for him, he didn’t really take his opportunity last season, as whilst he did put in performances that proved he is capable, he also made some errors.

Again, that’s to be expected for a relatively young keeper, but the fact Morrison went with O’Leary for most of his games in charge says a lot.

It would be no surprise if Albion are in the market for a new number one this summer, in which case Griffiths does need to move for the sake of his career.

As outlined above, Stoke would be a sideward step in that it’s hard to envisage Griffiths pushing Viktor Johansson out of the team, but if he could find a club to give him regular game time, even if it was in League One, it could be just what he needs.