Having only scored twice in their opening three Premier League matches, West Brom addressed the need to add further attacking options on Monday with the signing of Tottenham midfielder Nacer Chadli for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £13 million.
Speaking about the addition of the Belgian international, Baggies boss Tony Pulis revealed his happiness at being able to add real quality to his squad:
“He’s a top, top player and I’m delighted we’ve got him. I said last week that these signings all had to be about players who would improve our squad – and Nacer does precisely that.”
Chadli, meanwhile, discussed his preferred position before revealing his fitness is up to scratch ahead of Gameweek 4:
“I think my best position is out on the left or maybe under the striker. But I can play anywhere in midfield if asked. This is a great challenge and I want to show my quality to the fans and to the club. I just want to help the team win as many games as possible. I watched the games against Middlesbrough and it was a positive game. Albion created good chances but didn’t score. But I know from playing against them how very well organised they are and how tough they can be to beat. I’ve trained now for six days a week for two months so I am physically fit. I just need some game time to be at 100 per cent.”
The History
Born in Liege, Belgium, Chadli joined Standard Liege at the age of nine, and spent most of his youth career there before moving to Dutch second division club AGOVV Apeldoorn as an 18-year-old in 2007.
Chadli spent three seasons with his new club and, after producing 29 goals and 20 assists in 95 matches, was acquired by FC Twente in the summer of 2010.
The Belgian had a very successful first season with the-then Dutch champions, scoring three goals in six Champions League appearances, including twice against Tottenham. In his three campaigns with Twente, Chadli bagged 40 goals and 26 assists in 123 appearances.
He was on the move again in the summer of 2013, this time completing a £7 million transfer to Tottenham. His first season at White Hart Lane saw the Belgian struggle, though, managing just one goal and three assists in 24 league outings.
Chadli found favour under new Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino the following year, and ended the season with an impressive 11 goals and five assists from 35 league appearances.
His progress last season was curtailed by the form of Erik Lamela and the emergence of Dele Alli, though. With just 10 of his 29 appearances arriving as a first-teamer, Chadli managed only three goals and two assists.
A dual citizen of both Morocco and Belgium, Chadli did represent Morocco once, in a friendly against Northern Ireland in 2010. As it was not deemed a competitive match, a year later he decided to turn out for Belgium, and made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Finland in February 2011. He has appeared 32 appearances for his country, scoring four goals and providing as many assists, although he was left out of the squad for Euro 2016.
The Prospects
While Chadli’s career stalled at Tottenham over the last 12 months, he should offer a major upgrade on the attacking options Pulis currently has at his disposal. The Belgian is a capable dribbler, technically proficient and has an eye for goal, while he’s also strong in the air.
With Pulis generally favouring either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 formation, Chadli is perhaps favourite to move ahead of the likes of Craig Gardner and James McClean in the pecking order at the Hawthorns and cement a role on the left.
As the Belgian’s comments above suggest, he could also stake a claim for the central support spot behind Salomon Rondon, placing question marks over the pitch time of Saido Berahino. Elsewhere in the Baggies attack, summer signing Matt Phillips looks likely to keep his place on the right.
Available at 6.4 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Chadli is more expensive that Phillips (5.5) but may well prove to be worthy of that extra outlay – he averaged 4.5 points per game (ppg) in 2014/15, highlighting his potential if handed enough pitch time. Indeed, his 36.4% goal involvement that season was greater than any Spurs midfielder.
The problem lies in the fact that Baggies attackers have consistently held little Fantasy appeal since Pulis arrived at the Hawthorns. Somewhat encouragingly, they have registered as many shots from inside the box (24) as Tottenham so far this season, but only created three big chances in what have been a trio of fairly favourable match-ups.
Although the schedule (bou, WHM, sto, sun) remains pretty appealing in the short-term, Chadli will need to convince us he’s worth of considering in the mid-price bracket, particularly when the likes of West Ham’s Michail Antonio is just 0.6 more expensive and has some fine fixtures to follow.
Certainly, West Brom look to have a talented player on their hands, but until we see evidence of Pulis’ side having a more attacking outlook, it’s members of the Baggies backline who should remain the most appealing picks in our 15-man squads. Pulis has already steered his reliable defence to two clean sheets this season – a tally matched only by Man United in the first three Gameweeks.
