But surely the point about Stephens is that we all knew that he had been offered a new deal but wouldn't sign?
A better example perhaps is Baldock. One year on his deal and is offered and signs a new contract unlike, as far as we know, Tomer Hemed.
Ok, good point. Let me qualify that. It's pretty unusual for the Albion not to have tied a player's contract down if they want to keep him as they approach, or are in, their final year. And when the club offers a new deal to a player, it's made public.
We need at least four strikers. If Hemed is sold then we need to buy two, if not three, new forwards as poor old Sam Baldock has such a poor injury record. The club clearly don't fancy Hemed in the Premier League as he's not been offered a new deal. If he wasn't a starter last season, barring...