While the club-record signing of Stephane Sessegnon made most of the West Brom headlines on deadline day, Steve Clarke’s acquisition of Morgan Amalfitano from Marseille may prove a canny piece of business. Arriving at the Hawthorns on a one-year loan deal with a view to a permanent move, the 28-year-old will bring a much-needed creativity to a Baggies side without a goal to their name in the league this season.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Clarke was quick to praise the new arrival and indicated Amalfitano’s versatility could be key for the campaign ahead:
“I’m delighted to welcome Morgan to the club. He is predominantly a right-sided midfielder who can also operate in a number of other midfield and attacking positions. Morgan is a technical player with good quality on the ball. He also has fantastic work-rate and we believe his game is well suited to the Barclays Premier League. Morgan’s arrival will increase competition in midfield and add more quality and depth to the squad.”
The History
A product of the Cannes youth system, Amalfitano’s senior career kicked off back in 2003/04 with French outfit Sedan. Over the course of four seasons, he turned out 126 times and picked up a pair of assists for the strugglers before he was acquired by Ligue 1 side FC Lorient ahead of the 2008/09 campaign.
The midfielder’s first couple of years in his new surrounds harvested nine goals and eight assists over 72 top-flight appearances before Amalfitano improved markedly, with five goals and 16 assists delivered in 2010/11. Signing for Marseille under freedom of contract in July 2011, he failed to replicate his final year at Lorient and managed just two goals and seven assists from 60 league games before making his way to the midlands. Amalfitano has also turned out once for the French national side, providing an assist in a 2-1 win over Germany in February last year.
The Prospects
With the Baggies still failing to adjust to life without Romelu Lukaku, Clarke is yet to settle on a familiar XI or formation so far. The West Brom boss has already handed six midfielders and five forwards game time in the opening three fixtures and switched from a 4-4-2 formation to 4-3-3 as he attempts to find a suitable system without the big Belgian to bang in the goals.
Certainly, Sessegnon’s arrival suggests a move back to the 4-2-3-1 of last season could be on the cards, with the Benin international tucked in behind a lone forward. While such a scenario would indicate Amalfitano is more likely to be handed a berth on the Baggies right, it remains to be seen just how often he can expect starts, bearing in mind the likes of James Morrison and Graham Dorrans also offer options in his preferred position.
Coming in at 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and 5.4 in the Sky Sports game, the Frenchman is certainly cheaper than the majority of his midfield team-mates and looks one to monitor, should Clarke decide to lessen his rotation and attempt to nail down a settled side. With games against United, Arsenal and Liverpool, in addition to a trip to Stoke in the following six, though, few will be willing to take a punt on West Brom options right now, with the upcoming schedule affording Clarke’s side little opportunity to turn around their poor start to the season.
