Irish striker Shane Long has pledged his future to West Brom, adding that he hopes he can continue his partnership with on-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku.
West Brom are 14/1 with Boylesports.com to finish in the Top 6
Long, who joined the club for £5million from Reading during the summer of 2011, is pleased with their progress under head coach Steve Clarke:
“Am I committed to West Brom for next season? Yes, I’m happy here. I like playing for the manager here. He is very good, and I’m learning a lot every week. The lads are a good bunch, the family are happy up here, so I’m not looking to move on. I’m concentrating on this season and hopefully getting a few more goals before the summer and kicking on from there.”
Long has scored nine times this season, while Lukaku, been on target twelve times. The Irish man is surprised Chelsea did not recall him during January but hopes the 19-year-old will return on loan to West Brom next season:
“They paid £18million for him. I thought they’d bring him in with a view to bringing him off the bench and giving him games and forcing his way into the team. I suppose with Demba Ba coming in there, rather than having Rom sitting in the reserves at Chelsea it is better to put him on loan to us, playing games every week and showing what he can do. Hopefully he will come back next season.”
Long suffered an ankle injury during Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Sunderland, and is hoping that it will not affect him for the clubs next game:
“In the first half I rolled it and I managed to do it two or three times afterwards, so the gaffer wanted to spare me for next week (at Chelsea). It didn’t feel the best after the game but hopefully I can get a better assessment in the next couple of days.”
