Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield believes that David Button will be West Bromwich Albion’s number one should Sam Johnstone depart the club this summer. 

Button started the Baggies pre-season match against Watford and kept a clean sheet, with the game finishing goalless.

There is much speculation about Sam Johnstone’s future at the Hawthorns, with Gabby Agbonlahor suggesting to Football Insider that West Brom will accept an £11m bid from West Ham for their number one goalkeeper.

If Johnstone does depart the Hawthorns this summer, Hatfield believes that David Button will become the new number one, telling Transfer Tavern: “We’ve seen reports of that being the case before with their pre-season game against Watford and I think it was pretty telling that Button started that game and then played the entire game, too. 

“We’ve seen the young player Alex Palmer come in between the sticks before, but that wasn’t the case at Watford, he was on the bench, he was an unused substitute, so I think that’s a sign from Valerien Ismael saying that Button is going to be our number one should Sam Johnstone leave.”

32-year-old Button has played plenty of football throughout his career, having played for the likes of Premier League new boys Brentford, Fulham, Brighton and Hove Albion and Plymouth to name a few, so would be a safe pair of hands to call upon for West Brom.

The Baggies have already been active in the transfer market, bringing in Alex Mowatt from Barnsley and also capturing the loan signing of Matt Clarke from one of Button’s former clubs Brighton and Hove Albion.