West Brom: Matheus Pereira impact will live long in Baggies memory - View | OneFootball

Matheus Pereira was an inspired signing by West Bromwich Albion.

Highlights

Brazil have produced some of the most technically gifted footballers across the globe.

Of course, you have your world beaters like Ronaldinho and Neymar, but if you go down the footballing pyramid you will find multiple stars.

West Bromwich Albion were fortunate to discover one of these magicians, and the deal to sign Matheus Pereira will be remembered as one of the club's best.

In his two years at the Hawthorns, he wowed Baggies fans with his dribbling ability and his distinct eye for a pass, and his £16 million, 2021 departure was a sorry sight.

Matheus Pereira's Championship exploits

Pereira began his footballing career at Sporting CP, where he thoroughly impressed in the B team, scoring 17 in his 41 appearances for them.

However, he was unable to display his ability for the first-team and subsequently spent the next two seasons out on loan at G.D. Chaves and then 1.FC Nurnberg in Germany.

These two loan spells were enough proof to West Brom chiefs that it would be worth exploring a move to sign Pereira from Sporting. The Baggies' hierarchy were successful in their attempts and on the 8th of August 2019 Pereira signed on loan for the season with a view to making the deal permanent.

After a short bleeding-in period, the Brazilian would make his first start against Blackburn Rovers, where he notched two assists as he helped his side secure a 3-2 victory.

Following this, he went on to be the catalyst for their promotion - helping them to finish second and go up automatically.

Across the Championship season, he displayed an unrelenting willingness to create chances for those around him as he assisted his teammates 16 times in the campaign.

Goals were also frequent, as he notched eight, including an impressive double against Sheffield Wednesday in their promotion run-in.

His performances earned him a place in the WhoScored Championship Team of the Season with an average rating of 7.41 - the second-highest for any player in the division.

Speaking about his time in the Championship with West Brom, he called it his "best professional moment", and of course, his promotion-securing performances would give him the opportunity at the top-level after signing permanently.

Pereira made the step-up to the Premier League with flying colours

The gap between the Premier League and the Championship is perceived to be a big one. For teams, it can often pan out this way and West Brom struggled to gain a foothold in the league during 2020-21 as they were relegated with a meagre 26 points.

However, individually, Pereira shined as he carried his form from the season prior.

This time he managed to notch an impressive 11 goals, whilst his assist contribution dropped to six with those around him unable to meet his standards.

His performances were enough to warrant a move to a top club, but instead, he left for monetary reasons as he signed for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

For West Brom fans, this was disappointing and since his departure they have not been able to source a player close to his ability.

Speaking about his departure from the Hawthorns and his struggles since, the midfielder said this: "I was afraid of what this new change would do to my head, but it was very good financially,

"I spoke to my wife and we decided to accept it. It didn’t take long for the psychological decline to reappear. There isn’t always a specific cause, I think it’s more the whole of a lifetime, but living in Riyadh, I missed my church.

"In West Bromwich we were part of a small Christian community and that strengthened me, I was supported. In Saudi Arabia, there was none.

"I also began to miss my parents and couldn’t find a way to get back in touch with them. Then one day I woke up and darkness had settled over my soul."

Thankfully, Pereira has recovered from this and is now enjoying his football out in Brazil with Cruzeiro.

Pereira is one to remember

The impact the midfielder had on West Brom in such a short spell can only be praised.

His two years were full of goals, assists, and magical moments, and one thing is clear: he thrived on trust, and Slaven Bilic gave him his heart and soul to bring out the best in him.

In the future, it will undoubtedly be difficult for the Baggies to find another player of Pereira's calibre. Therefore, it is important to cherish the time they had with him and not hold any grudges over his departure.