Why West Brom must sign Matheus Pereira from Sporting permanently
According to The Athletic, West Brom could sign Matheus Pereira on a permanent deal for £9million as early as January.
The 23-year-old joined the Baggies on a season-long loan – with a view to a permanent deal – from Sporting Lisbon on transfer deadline day back in August.
Matheus Pereira had fallen out of favour in Sporting Lisbon, which made him a risky signing for the West Midlands club at the time. But he has been a revelation since his arrival at the Hawthorns.
The Brazilian attacker has been one of the standout players in the Championship and has played a key role in the Baggies’ excellent start to the campaign under Slaven Bilic – scoring five goals and providing 10 assists in 20 league appearances.
As Pereira has adapted to Championship football like a duck to water, West Brom must quickly sign him permanently from Sporting.
On the pitch, West Brom regained top spot at the weekend, following a spirited 3-2 win in the West Midlands derby against Birmingham City. Bilic has masterminded his side to an impressive 14 wins in 22 games which have seen them move two points clear of Leeds United, who are in second place.
If the Baggies beat Brentford on Saturday at the Hawthorns, they will be guaranteed to be top at Christmas regardless of the outcome of results elsewhere.
Bilic has made West Brom play an attacking, expansive brand of football in the Championship. The West Midlands club have scored the most number of goals this season, with the likes of Grady Diangana, Charlie Austin, Hal Robson-Kanu and Pereira thriving in the final third.
Speaking about Pereira, he has taken the Championship by storm with his skilful displays. He has been unstoppable at times in the division, acting as West Brom’s chief creator of goals.
As per WhoScored.com, the Brazilian has registered an average of 1.9 shots per game, 2.3 key passes and 1.1 dribbles, whilst achieving 81.1% pass success rate in 20 games.
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The 23-year-old is quite versatile as well, demonstrated by the fact that Bilic has deployed him on the right, left as well as in a No. 10 role. The fact that West Brom have already scored 45 goals in 22 games, speaks volumes of the kind of impact Pereira has had on the team.
Verdict
Given just how impressive Pereira has been in recent months, West Brom must consider splashing the cash on him as he could potentially thrive at the highest level under the guidance of Bilic.