The competition for the left back position at West Brom is very intense this season. Slaven Bilic have three left backs to call upon.
The ex-Arsenal man, Keiran Gibbs, Nathan Ferguson and Connor Townsend who joined from Scunthorpe last year.
The position is presently occupied by Connor Townsend as Injury and fitness issues have kept Kieran Gibbs out since August while Nathan Ferguson is on a three-match suspension.
Townsend who has found first team opportunities hard to come by since his arrival at The Hawthorns has promised to stake a claim on the position and make it his own. He didn’t disappoint either as he delivered an assured performance at Bet360 Stadium, where West Brom added more misery to struggling Stoke city.
Townsend made it known after the match that, he has been waiting patiently for his chance to impress. He hopes to be in the starting line up again when they face Hull city next in the League.
Meanwhile, Kieran Gibbs is close to returning to the first team, he has been training with the first team, but he lacks the needed match fitness. Slaven Bilic has made it known that Kieran Gibbs will play with the Under 23 side in order to get competitive minutes into his legs.
Kieran Gibbs alongside the suspended Nathan Ferguson will have to fight for their place with the inform Conor Townsend for the left back position.
The manager has abundance of options available to him in the position, and he admitted it’s a good competition.
Gibbs joined West Brom from Arsenal in 2017. He made 137 League appearances for Arsenal scoring twice from left back position. He suffered relegation with West Brom at the end of 2017-2018 season, he has made 76 League appearances for West Brom, scoring 3 times.