PAUL BARBER says completing the season MUST be the priority for the Premier League.

But he fears “something will have to give” if the campaign is cut short.

Albion’s chief executive and deputy chairman has become widely associated with a suggestion to cancel relegation and promote the Championship’s top two Leeds and West Brom if the season has to end here.

He has told the Argus that is just ONE option of several – and comes with drawbacks.

But he hopes it does not come to that.

He would love to see his club and others given the green light next month to fight for their top-flight lives on the pitch.

The Premier League and EFL were put on hold on Friday until early April as a measure to help slow the spread of coronavirus.

It remains unclear when action will resume with the situation under constant review.

Barber was asked during an interview with Football Focus on BBC television whether the Prem could be extended to 22 teams.

That possibility has not been ruled out but his reply that it could happen appears to have stuck.

He told The Argus: “Our priority is, and must be, to complete the season if we can.

“Expanding the league next season by not relegating any teams and promoting the current top two in the Championship is one option.

“There will be many others.

“I’ve since thought about this idea a lot more and, whilst it clearly benefits all clubs battling against relegation, there is some merit to it but unfortunately it also disadvantages those clubs in the Championship play-off positions.

“Sadly, whatever happens, the way things are, I fear something will have to give somewhere if we are faced with being unable to complete the season in a reasonable timeframe.”

Barber is well-placed to empathise with clubs battling relegation, those who seem on course for automatic promotion and the play-off contenders given his varied experiences in recent years with Albion.

He is likely to be thinking in depth about all options.

In 2016, he came up with an innovative plan to reward teams for their regular season records when they went into the promotion play-offs, although it was never adopted.