West Brom boss Steve Clarke added to his up-front options earlier today with the acquisition of Udinese’s Matej Vydra. The 21-year-old arrives on a season-long loan deal and is reported to have rejected offers from West Ham and Sunderland to join up at the Hawthorns:
Speaking to the club’s official website upon completion of the deal, the Baggies Sporting and Technical Director Richard Garlick admitted the Czech international has been on the radar for quite some time:
“Matej is a player we watched consistently last season due to the level of his performances for Watford and the number of goals he scored. We faced a lot of competition for his signature and we’re delighted he has chosen us to make the step up to Barclays Premier League level. Matej feels he can be successful here and we believe he will bring a different dimension to our attacking options. He’s a clever player, is quick and can play anywhere across the front three positions, or in a slightly withdrawn role.”
The History
A product of the Vysočina Jihlava youth system in his native country, Vydra’s career started in the 2008/09 season. Having notched five times in 27 appearances over a couple of years, he was snapped up by Banik Ostrava midway through the following campaign, though his time there lasted just a few months – with four goals in 14 matches – before Udinese came calling in June 2010.
Vydra has found it nigh on impossible to break into the Udinese first-team, though. His first season in Serie A saw him mainly play for the club’s B team – scoring eight times in 21 matches – with just a couple of appearances for the senior side. Farmed out to Belgian outfit Club Bruges the following year, he managed just a single first-team game before injury forced him to return to his parent club. The 2012/13 campaign proved far more successful, however; snapped up on loan by Gianfranco Zola’s Watford, he notched and impressive 22 goals and nine assists in 44 games (including play-offs) for the Championship side.
On the international stage, Vydra has turned out for the Czech republic at every youth level from Under 16 to Under 21, scoring 10 times over a total of 36 matches. He has also featured seven times for the senior side and found the net on a couple of occasions.
The Prospects
While the Baggies had plenty of options up top last time out, the departure of Romelu Lukaku and Marc-Antoine Fortune to Chelsea and Wigan respectively has left Clarke a little light on strikers. Bearing in mind Peter Odemwingie still has one foot through the exit door, strengthening the forward line was a clear priority, admitted the West Brom boss:
“I’m delighted to welcome Matej to the club. He had a really good year with Watford and we believe he’s got the qualities to score goals at a higher level. Hopefully, he’ll show that this year with us. I’ve said previously we’re a bit light in the forward areas and Matej will increase competition for places. He’s another good quality striker to add to the other three senior forwards we have here.”
As we saw last year, regardless of form, Clarke has a frustrating tendency to rotate his forward options. Shane Long started the most league matches (25), while Lukaku featured in the first XI on just 20 occasions, with a further 15 appearances off the bench. In terms of Vydra’s game time, much may depend on formation – already over pre-season, West Brom have trialled 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 systems; a clear indication of Clarke’s willingness to alter his team from one game to the next.
It’s worth noting that 14 of Vydra’s 41 appearances for Watford arrived as a substitute last term, though, a suggestion he still carries plenty threat if, in all likelihood, he gets caught up in Clarke’s rest and rotation policy. Given his pre-season form, Nicolas Anelka certainly looks likely to be in the driving seat for a starting berth from the off. The Frenchman has notched seven times over the summer, though Markus Rosenberg has also impressed with four strikes – considering Vydra won’t meet up with his new team mates until Friday due to international duties, a role from the bench for Saturday’s home clash with Southampton looks the likeliest outcome.
A price of around 5.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game – similar to Anelka – seems on the cards, though the latter may well be earmarked for spot-kick duties; a factor that will certainly affect how we assess the situation. Potentially, Vydra’s arrival could have a detrimental effect on Anelka; the veteran may find himself subbed off on numerous occasions midway through the second period of matches as Clarke looks to protect his ageing legs.
Home showdowns against Southampton, Swansea and Sunderland in the opening five Gameweeks, allied with a trip to promoted Hull, certainly looks a promising start for the Baggies. With no real security of start as yet, Fantasy managers are likely to steer clear of Vydra in the meantime and assess the situation from afar – if the new boy begins to show signs of replicating Lukaku’s impact at the Hawthorns, the bandwagon won’t be long in following.
