West Brom were left with Chelsea FC transfer envy - His legs truly went at the Baggies | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion did not see the best of Chelsea legend Branislav Ivanovic after he moved to The Hawthorns in 2020.

In the early to mid-2010’s, Serbia international Branislav Ivanovic had established himself as one of the very best right-backs in the Premier League but the versatile and experienced defender failed to live up to his former heights when he joined West Bromwich Albion.

Having begun his professional career with Srem in the Serbian lower leagues, Ivanovic went on to play for both OFK Beograd and Lokomotiv Moscow before becoming a legendary figure at Chelsea.

Having joined the Blues in the summer of 2008, Ivanovic went on to make over 375 appearances in a nine-year stint at Stamford Bridge, winning three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, a League Cup, the Community Shield, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

In the 2014/15 season, Ivanovic played every minute as he, for the second time in his career, earned a spot in the PFA Team of the Year as a league winner with Chelsea.

The following season saw Chelsea fall off a cliff and finish in the middle-of-the-table with Jose Mourinho sacked mid-way through the campaign, with Ivanovic still making 33 appearances in the league but his performances majorly dipping.

In the 2016/17 campaign, Ivanovic found himself out of the first-choice eleven under the management of Antonio Conte, with his legs and energy not what they once were and making him an ineffective wing-back, while also struggling being kept out of the side at the right-sided centre-back position, in a back three, by Cesar Azpilicueta.

The winter of 2017 saw the end of his time at the Bridge, and did really signal the end of his ability to play at the highest level, such as the Premier League, but West Brom still took a gamble on him – and it didn’t pay off.

Branislav Ivanovic struggled with his return to the Premier League at West Brom

Mid-way through the 2016/17 season, Branislav Ivamovic departed Chelsea for Zenit Saint-Petersburg and the Serbian went on to make over 100 appearances across three years in the north west of Russia.

With Zenit, Ivanovic won two Russian Premier League titles and managed to prolong his career in one of Europe’s top-flights, but the experienced defender opted to leave Russia a few months after the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020.

Ivanovic moved to a West Brom side that had just gained promotion back to the top-flight under the management of former Croatia boss Slaven Bilic.

As Albion prepared for what was always expected to be a difficult season, their signing spree began with the permanent additions of Matheus Pereira and Grady Diangana before the arrivals of Cedric Kipre, David Button and Callum Robinson.

Conor Gallagher was a marquee loan signing, alongside the return of Filip Krovinovic, before Karlan Ahearne-Grant also joined from Huddersfield Town – but one of the more eye-catching additions that summer was indeed Ivanovic.

A young and inexperienced squad, especially in terms of top-flight pedigree having re-invented themselves back down in the Championship, Ivanovic was brought in to more than steady the ship but also provide real bite to an Albion defence that had had most joy when playing on the front foot the previous campaign.

However, with just 13 appearances in the Premier League that season, Ivanovic had proven himself to be well short of a return to the English top-flight as the Baggies succumbed to a 19th place finish, with Sam Allardyce having replaced Bilic mid-way through the campaign.

Branislav Ivanovic couldn’t cope with the Premier League anymore

Perhaps a sign of what may be to come, Ivanovic began the season with an injury and was unable to feature in the squad as West Brom gave up a 3-0 lead to draw against Chelsea in their first home game of the season at The Hawthorns, a week after an opening day 5-2 defeat at Goodison Park against Everton.

Ivanovic, once a right-back that became renowned for his aggressive bursts forward and someone who could run all day with real intensity and tenacity, had become a centre-back upon his arrival in the midlands.

He made a steady start initially, and his experience even saw him named captain in his seventh start, a 2-1 defeat at St James’ Park against Newcastle United in mid-December.

Ivanovic was left on the bench for West Brom’s now famous 1-1 draw with Manchester City, with that more than respectable point being immediately followed by the surprise sacking of Bilic.

Allardyce eased Ivanovic back into the setup with substitute appearances against Aston Villa and Liverpool but chastening defeats to Leeds United and Arsenal over the festive period signalled a change for Ivanovic.

The Serb came off the bench at 4-0 down and did stabilise things, limiting the defeat to just five goals at home to Leeds before then starting and being run ragged in a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Arsenal, in which Ivanovic had to be hooked a couple of minutes after Alexandre Lacazette had made it four for the Gunners.

Ivanovic then found himself to be an unused substitute for the next five games before falling out of the squad completely for the vast majority of the remainder of the campaign, making appearances against Brighton and Hove Albion as well as Chelsea.

Even that was a very good example of just how far off it Ivanovic had become, and just how far his legs had gone, as he came on against former club Chelsea in a famous 5-2 win in the 24th minute but lasted just 13 minutes before being forced off through injury.

It was very much the end of the road for Ivanovic, though, and he retired from professional football at the end of that season as Albion returned to the Championship.

Ivanovic’s time in the Premier League was already very much up before the Baggies took a risk on him, and it was certainly not a risk that paid off for either the player or the club.