West Bromwich Albion made their first signing of the summer transfer window on Saturday, securing the services of Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez for an undisclosed fee, reportedly worth around £12 million.
The 27-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year deal with the Baggies and, speaking to the club’s official website, revealed he hopes to put his fitness issues behind him and play regular first-team football at the Hawthorns:
“There’s a lot to come from me. I am fully over the injury, but for whatever reason, it didn’t work out for me at Southampton last season… It’s true that there is nothing like regular first-team football for that extra sharpness. That’s where you get your form and fitness from; playing regularly is the most important thing. But I’ve come through it and I am lot wiser for it. There’s still a lot more to come from me and I want to continue to improve.”
The History
Rodriguez progressed through the youth ranks at hometown club Burnley to make his professional debut against Bristol City in December 2007 at the age of 18.
He was then sent out on loan to Scottish Championship side Stirling Albion for the second half of the 2007/08 season, scoring three goals in 11 matches.
The young forward featured regularly off the bench for the Clarets in 2008/09, scoring twice in 25 league outings, although in 2010, during the club’s first Premier League campaign, he failed to make a single appearance.
Instead, he went out on loan to Championship outfit Barnsley, scoring once in six matches, before returning to Turf Moor ahead of the 2010/11 campaign with the club back in the second tier.
It was only then that Rodriguez established himself as a regular starter, ending the season with 14 goals and seven assists from 42 appearances, before backing that up with 15 goals and six assists from 37 outings in 2011/12.
His impressive performances caught the eye of several Premier League clubs, and it was Southampton who won the race to sign the forward in a deal worth around £7 million.
Rodriguez enjoyed a strong start to his Saints career, producing six goals and eight assists from 35 league appearances in his first season at St Mary’s, before enjoying a real breakthrough campaign in 2013/14.
He registered 15 goals and three assists in 33 matches, before rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in April 2014 – an injury that would seriously halt his progress.
Indeed, he was forced to sit out the entire 2014/15 season and has only managed 36 league appearances over the past two seasons, registering just five goals and two assists.
Rodriguez featured once for England U21s in 2011 and made his only appearance for the senior side in a 2-0 friendly defeat to Chile in November 2013.
The Prospects
Having tried and failed to sign Rodriguez in two previous transfer windows, West Brom head coach Tony Pulis finally has his man, with Rodriguez now expected to push for regular first-team football.
Capable of playing out wide, in a support striker role or as a centre-forward, Rodriguez will offer plenty of versatility, although, with Salomon Rondon and Hal Robson-Kanu the only other senior forwards at the Hawthorns, he should get plenty of opportunities to feature up front.
Certainly, Pulis was quick to stress the alternatives that Rodriguez presents…
“He gives us different options and that’s important for a club such as our’s – Jay can play in three different positions across the front and that’s good for us. He was exceptional for Southampton out wide and coming in off the line. He also plays as a striker – he’s got these different qualities to play anywhere along the front line.”
Last season, the Baggies played almost exclusively with just one striker, either in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 formation.
Rondon enjoyed a strong first half of the campaign, scoring seven times by Christmas, before managing just one goal over the remainder of the campaign.
Robson-Kanu, meanwhile, was limited to just five starts and could only muster three goals.
Rodriguez will surely establish himself as a regular starter if he can hit the ground running at The Hawthorns, although Rondon perhaps remains the favoured option to lead the line.
Comparing the trio’s underlying statistics from last season, it was Rodriguez who led the way in terms of threat, averaging a shot every 26.82 minutes, superior to both Rondon (30.81) and Robson-Kanu (42.69).
Indeed, in 2013/14 during Rodriguez’s most prolific season, he averaged a goal attempt every 25.45 minutes, highlighting his Fantasy potential when fully fit and given an extended run in the side.
By comparison, Rondon only managed a shot every 36.17 minutes in his other Premier League campaign back in 2015/16.
More significantly, Rondon has struggled for an end product. He achieved a miserable 8.5% conversion rate last season having scored eight goals from his 95 shots. That was down from an equally modest 12.7 in his debut Premier League campaign.
But Rondon’s numbers may partly be explained by West Brom’s unimpressive attacking statistics.
They ranked 15th for big chances last term, with 45, and second-bottom in 2015/16 with just 42.
The Baggies scored 20 of their 43 goals last season from set-pieces, illustrating their struggles in terms of scoring goals from open-play.
In Matt Phillips and Nacer Chadli in particular, West Brom do have midfielders who should be able to create plenty of chances, but Pulis’ emphasis on team shape and defensive duties can make it difficult for whoever plays in attack to get the support they need.
While Rodriguez was listed as a midfielder in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) last season, he may be re-classified as a forward this time around, given the limited striking options at The Hawthorns. Ultimately, that decision could be vital to his appeal as a potential asset – as will how he ranks in price compared to his team-mates.
He should be listed between 6.0 and 7.0 in FPL, and could provide us with a viable mid-price option if he can command a regular starting berth and edge his way back to form.
West Brom’s opening fixtures (BOU, brn, STO, bha, WHM) are definitely favourable enough to hand consideration to Baggies attacking assets, but investing in Rodriguez is perhaps unlikely unless he enjoys a very convincing pre-season.
The hefty outlay made by West Brom indicates that he should gain increased first-team opportunities. But with uncertainty over the position Rodriguez will play, it’s likely most Fantasy managers will be happy to monitor his progress during the opening Gameweeks before seriously considering him as an option.
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