I chose City due to Kou – Sawyers

ROMAINE Sawyers’ decision to choose the No. 19 shirt at West Brom was to pay homage to former Cardiff City and Baggies fans’ favourite Jason Koumas.

The former Wales international is thought of in incredibly high esteem in the Welsh capital, as well as at The Hawthorns, and is one of the most talented players to operate in the Championship since its advent. Sawyers, who grew up watching Koumas during his apprenticeship at West Brom, revealed that he chose No. 19 in the hope of following in his idol’s footsteps.

“I’ve never put this out there, but it’s homage to Jason Koumas,” Sawyers said about his squad number in an interview with The Sun in 2020. “Anyone who has watched West Brom will know there are certain players we loved: James Morrison, Robert Koren, Jonathan Greening, and Koumas.

“I loved being up close to those guys as a ball boy and was lucky because we were in the Premier League so I’d also be around people like Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and the big Manchester United when they were dominating.”

Koumas wore the No. 19 shirt in his second spell at West Brom in 2006/07 and also in his second spell with the Bluebirds in the 2010/11 campaign. Sawyers wore that number while at Brentford and West Brom, however James Collins currently has the shirt at Cardiff City.

Meanwhile Portsmouth have joined the race to sign Bluebirds striker Collins.

The Republic of Ireland international is struggling to force his way into Steve Morison’s plans after being deemed surplus to requirements at the back end of last season.

The Bluebirds are going to bolster their forward options this summer, with the club having made 10 signings without adding a single striker to their ranks as things stand. But WalesOnline understands that will change before the window closes and Collins, who is desperate for minutes, could well see himself down the pecking order again.

Portsmouth are thought to have joined Derby County in the race for the 31-year-old’s signature. We understand the Rams are keen to add Collins to their ranks and are hopeful of nabbing him as a free agent, despite him having another 12 months left on his Cardiff contract. Other League One clubs are also thought to be monitoring the situation.