West Brom boss Steve Clarke made his third move of the summer transfer market late last week with the acquisition of Diego Lugano from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. The 32-year-old arrives at the Hawthorns on a two-year contract and is the third signing of the close-season, after Nicolas Anelka penned a permanent deal and Goran Popov returned on another year-long loan.
Speaking to the club’s official website at the weekend, the Baggies Sporting and Technical director Richard Garlick admitted the Uruguayan has been on West Brom’s radar for quite some time:
“We identified central defence as one of the areas within the squad in which we wanted to increase competition this summer. Diego is a player we have been aware of for the past couple of years and when we discovered he wouldn’t be re-joining Malaga, we made our move. We have very much done our homework on Diego. His CV speaks for itself and we’ve also received glowing reports about him as a person. He had other attractive offers but we’re delighted he has agreed to join us. His game is very much suited for the Premier League.”
The History
Lugano’s career started back in 1998 with hometown club Atlético Libertad before he was snapped up by Uruguayan giants Nacional the following year. The centre-half failed to make an impact in his new surrounds and, with just 13 league appearances over the course of three campaigns, was farmed out on loan to Plaza Colonia – installed as skipper, he notched four times in 46 games.
Brazilian side Sao Paulo came calling in 2003 and Lugano soon established himself as a key figure at the back. Scoring eight times in 96 league games over three seasons, the Uruguayan’s most successful campaign was back in 2005, where he helped his side to a league title, a Copa Libertadores and the FIFA Club World Cup. A Brazilian title followed once again the following year, with Lugano voted the best defender in the division for two years in a row.
In the summer of 2006 Lugano was on the move again, with Turkish outfit Fenerbahçe shelling out €7.5m for his services. During his five-year tenure, he won the Turkish league twice and also picked up the domestic cup on a couple of occasions, while his attacking potential came to the fore again, with 22 goals and five assists from 125 league matches. He also proved to be something of a card magnet, though, and picked up 38 yellows and three reds over his time in Turkey.
A move to PSG in August 2011 proved to be somewhat disastrous for his career, though. Lugano made just 12 appearances (with seven bookings accrued) in his first season as a result of injuries and poor form and was farmed out on loan to Spanish side Malaga midway through last term, playing 10 times in La Liga before returning to his parent club at the end of the campaign.
On the international stage, Lugano has turned out for his country 85 times and found the net on nine occasions, with his most recent strike arriving in this summer’s Confederations Cup against Nigeria.
The Prospects
While the move has been hailed as a coup by some, Steve Clarke wasted little time in warning the new boy he faces a challenge to break into the Baggies first-team for the season ahead:
“I’m delighted to welcome Diego to the club. He’s an experienced centre-half who will increase competition in that area of the team. This is a tough league. You need as many good players in your squad as you can get – and Diego is undoubtedly one of those. Like some of the others we have here, Diego is another player who captains his country and is a leader. He has a real hunger and ambition to play and succeed in the Barclays Premier League and he will hopefully get a platform here to show everyone what he can do. However, Diego knows he’s got a fight on his hands to get into the team.”
Given that the World Cup is just a year away, Lugano clearly requires a consistency of game time after a miserable last couple of years. While Clarke had a tendency to rotate his attacking midfield and forward options, centre-half was the most secure of any position – both Jonas Olsson and Gareth McAuley were afforded 36 starts apiece in the new manager’s first year at the Hawthorns’ helm.
Further analysis of the Baggies defensive displays may afford Lugano hope, though. Having picked up four clean sheets in the first 10 Gameweeks of 2012/13, the midlands outfit registered only four more over the remainder of the campaign and managed to keep out their opponents once in 15 matches between Gameweeks 11-28.
Lugano’s arrival is likely to be a blow for Craig Dawson’s hopes of breaking into the Baggies’ first-team, with the 23-year-old already linked with a move to Bolton, having spent time on loan at the Reebok last term. Priced today at 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the ideal scenario would be for Lugano to oust McAuley in the pecking order, given that the latter will set you back 5.5 to Olsson’s 5.0. Lugano has also been added to the Sky Sports game at 5.2 – cheaper than both McAuley and Olsson.
At the moment, though, his arrival merely poses questions for Fantasy managers and is likely to increase the appeal of Ben Foster as a Baggies backline option. The stopper looks assured of starts under Clarke and his rotation with Southampton’s Artur Boruc is already a popular option on the site, with a run of 11 strong home fixtures in the opening 12 Gameweeks (SOT, SUN, SWA, WHM, SUN, CPL, SWA, sto, FUL, CPL, HUL, AVL). Clarke’s selection policy will be one to watch, then, and if Lugano can cement a place in the first XI his attacking threat certainly looks prosperous, though his disciplinary record may persuade many to steer clear regardless.
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