Chadli providing much-needed creative spark for blunt Baggies

On the back of a record breaking summer transfer window, in which over £1bn was spent to sign new players, 13 teams broke their club record in order to improve the squad. With the vast financial windfall that came with the £5.16bn TV deal brokered between Sky and BT, Premier League sides have more money at their disposal with which to strengthen, and strengthen they did. West Brom were among those keen to add quality in order to improve their chances of consolidating their Premier League place. 

Manager Tony Pulis had been under pressure to make game-changing additions to the Baggies squad, with a primary requirement to improve the club’s fortunes in the final third. Indeed, only relegated Aston Villa (27) scored fewer Premier League goals than West Brom (34) last season. Salomon Rondon scored a respectable nine league goals in his debut campaign for the Baggies, but behind him; goalscoring options were thin on the ground. 

Saido Berahino and Craig Dawson both bagged four goals each last term, with the pair ranking joint-second as the club’s top scorers. Evidently, improvements in front of goal were required, if only to help ease the burden on Rondon. Step forward, in that case, Nacer Chadli. The Belgian, who moved to the Premier League in 2013 as part of Tottenham’s infamous ‘Magnificent Seven’, had been marginalised at White Hart Lane following the fine form of Erik Lamela, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, among others. 

Chadli made only 10 Premier League starts for Spurs last season, despite a hugely impressive return of 11 goals - one of three players for the north London side to reach double figures - and five assists in Mauricio Pochettino’s debut campaign at the Tottenham helm. With the team moving forward, the general impression was Chadli was being left behind, and so a move away was in the best interest of all involved. 

“I had a few clubs interested but West Brom came very quickly and they showed concrete interest and wanted to make it (the move) happen,” Chadli said following his switch to the Baggies. As such, his arrival looks to have rejuvenated a stagnant West Brom side, who lacked imagination and creativity in the final third. The 27-year-old’s WhoScored rating (7.33) is far and away the best of all players for Pulis’ side. 

Of the eight league goals the Baggies have scored this season, Chadli has been directly involved in five (three goals, two assists). He made a substantial impact on his home league debut for his new side, netting two and assisting another two in the 4-2 win over West Ham, before opening the scoring in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland prior to the international break. The Belgium international has made an immediate impact for the Baggies, which comes as a huge boost to the club. 

In light of the injury to Chris Brunt, West Brom lacked a creative spark, even if the Northern Ireland international played left-back from time to time prior to his spell on the sidelines. The arrival of Chadli has significantly improved the Baggies’ fortunes in and around the 18-yard box, averaging more key passes per game (1.8) than any other West Brom player. His best form has come in central areas and it’s perhaps for this reason why Spurs ultimately didn’t get the best out of Chadli. 

The player himself was largely deployed out wide during his time at White Hart Lane, though his best asset isn’t his ability to run with the ball, but rather create for others, reinforced in that he is completing just 0.8 dribbles per game. For a West Brom side that is averaging the second least possession (41.5%) a player of Chadli’s ilk to help create for his teammates on the rare occasion the Baggies are in possession is all the more vital. Fortunately for the club, he’s taken to the Midlands like a duck to water, providing a much-needed shot in the arm in the process. 

With the end of the international break in sight, domestic duties resume in the coming days as Chadli gears up for a reunion with former side Spurs. He will be keen to prove that his former employers were wrong to sell him on and in the process help West Brom to another three points this coming weekend. His start to life for the Baggies suggests Pochettino’s side must be wary of the attacking threat Chadli carries and deal with the attacker effectively or run the risk of losing their first league game of the season.

Were Spurs too hasty in getting rid of Nacer Chadli? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below