West Brom pulled a blinder with Brazilian signing - He's still missed at the Hawthorns | OneFootball

Almost four years after leaving the Hawthorns, Matheus Pereira is still missed by West Brom.

Summary

Matheus Pereira's stint at West Bromwich Albion will be looked back on fondly by supporters, as the Brazilian shone at the Hawthorns.

The attacker joined the club in August 2019, initially signing on a season-long loan deal with a view of making the move permanent the following summer.

Pereira shone in his first season in England, scoring eight goals and chipping in with a remarkable 20 assists. This saw the Baggies win promotion back to the Premier League, with a second-place finish in the Championship.

Some players struggle to make the step-up to the top flight, but Pereira wasn't one of those. Whilst his side struggled towards the bottom of the table, the Brazilian was once again the shining light at the Hawthorns, scoring 11 goals and six assists.

Following months of speculation regarding his next destination, the attacking midfielder joined Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in 2021. To this day, it's fair to say Pereira is still sorely missed at the Midlands club.

Matheus Pereira's magical spell at West Brom

The attacker made his way through the ranks at Sporting Lisbon, before enjoying two successful loan spells with Chaves and FC Nurnberg. This put Pereira in the shop window for a big move to England come the summer of 2019.

West Brom were the ones lucky enough to sign him up, having been in negotiations for a number of weeks. Once Slaven Bilic did get his man, there was no looking back, as the then-23-year-old went on to tear up the Championship, scoring eight goals and notching up a remarkable 20 assists.

It was a no-brainer for the Baggies to pay Sporting the £8.25m to make his signing permanent the following summer, bringing their star man back to the club on a four-year deal, and ready to take on England's top flight.

Despite Albion's struggles, Pereira shone above everyone else in the squad, ending the season with 17 goal contributions in 33 appearances. Following West Brom's relegation back to the Championship, plenty of clubs were eyeing the Brazilian star, with Al Hilal eventually signing him for a fee reported to be around £16m.

Baggies star still sorely missed at the Hawthorns

It was clear from very early on that West Brom had unearthed a diamond in Pereira, and that he would be extremely hard to replace when he was eventually snatched away from the club.

Sadly, the move to Saudi Arabia never really worked out for the former Albion man. He spent three years contracted to Al Hilal, but was eventually sold to Cruzeiro in his native Brazil, following a loan spell there.

Things haven't been much better for the Baggies during this time either, as they haven't returned to the Premier League since Pereira departed the club in 2021. The skillful attacker was a key cog in West Brom's success that took them back to the top flight, and they haven't been the same without him.

A popular figure at the club during his time there, it's fair to say that Pereira is still missed to this day at the Hawthorns. The Brazilian left a lasting impact in his short time with the club, who haven't been able to reach the heights of the Premier League without him.