“His contribution was absolutely first class.”
Wes Hoolahan looks set to extend his contract with West Bromwich Albion after impressing the club’s manager Darren Moore.
Hoolahan earned the man-of-the-match award for his display in the FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic at the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon.
The 36-year-old Dubliner played in a false-nine role and helped his side record a 1-0 win and passage to the fourth round of the tournament, where they will face Brighton and Hove Albion.
Next up for West Brom in the Championship is Hoolahan’s former club Norwich City on Saturday. The former Republic of Ireland midfielder played for the Canaries for 10 years before leaving in the summer.
He signed a short-term contract with West Brom back in September that is due to expire later this month. It sounds as though that deal could be extended by the time West Brom host Norwich this weekend.
“I’m due to speak to his adviser, he’s coming to the end of his contract”, Moore told the Express & Star newspaper.
“I’ll look at addressing that this week, I’ve just got my head down in the Christmas period because it’s been a busy time. This week presents an opportunity to speak to Wes and his adviser and look at the best way going forward.”
Hoolahan has yet to start a Championship game for West Brom, making five appearances off the bench. But he has evidently made an impression on Moore and his teammates during his limited time on the field.
“We saw Wes’s intelligence and touch, his ability to be a nuisance in those pockets of space and getting the team moving from back to front,” Moore said after the win over Wigan.
“The only thing is he blew up about 70 minutes, but his contribution was absolutely first class.”
West Brom are currently in fourth place in the Championship, three points behind Hoolahan’s old club Norwich, who are in second place.
