Tony Pulis and West Bromwich Albion have had a great season and will hope to finish eighth this time around, having accumulated 45 points with one game to play, but need to better Southampton’s result on the final day of the season. There has been a clear improvement since last time around when they finished 14th and at times were drawn into a relegation battle.
They have scored seven more goals than last season already and will expect one or two more to add to that. They have conceded almost the same number of goals though, with this season’s 45 (36 played) against last season’s 48 (38).
That is an area where they have been much too open for the liking of manager Tony Pulis, who some would call a pragmatic manager for his overly defensive approach coupled with controlled and rigid formations.
Pulis will most likely be looking for a centre-back with their mainstay Gareth McAuley whose performances have been great, but his 37-year-old body may be catching up with him.
Transfer story
Jardel, one of Benfica’s Veteran centre-backs, has found playing time hard to come by with the emergence of Victor Lindelof. The 31-year old Brazilian is a good fit for West Bromwich Albion.
West Brom have already had a bid for the defender rejected, but he has a 16.75 million pound release clause and this deal might just happen.
And the chance to play in the premier league is really hard to turn down.
Player Stats
After managing 44 appearances and 5 goals in the previous season, Jardel has played just 91 minutes of football this season. He has made a paltry 6 appearances. (Source: Whoscored)
What will he offer the club?
As mentioned above, Jardel is an able replacement for stalwart McCauley, even in the goals department. They are a side who are known for very dominant and physical centre-backs. And Jardel is just that.
He can partner another good player in Johnny Evans and can develop a great partnership for greater endeavours the coming season.
Worth the money?
At nearly 17 million pounds, the 31-year old seems a pricey acquisition given his age. He has also not seen much game time this season.
But Tony Pulis has made players of the sort shine before. A case in point being Robert Huth, Who has gone on to become a Premier League winner after a brilliant spell at Stoke City.
As he is a centre-back, the player can go on playing for a while longer, just like the player he could replace.
