Tony Pulis oversaw his last transfer window as West Brom manager in 2017, but where are the seven players the Welshman signed that summer now with none still with the Baggies?
West Brom appointed Pulis as Alan Irvine’s replacement in January 2015, as the club hired a fourth head coach in a year. He arrived at The Hawthorns with the West Midlands outfit just one point above the Premier League relegation zone, following only four wins in 19 games.
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Pulis would manage to steer West Brom clear of the drop, and sealed a 13th-place finish in the 2014/15 standings. The Baggies would slip to 14th in ‘15/16 before climbing up to 10th in ‘16/17, with just one point denying the club an eighth-place result above Southampton.
West Brom would back Pulis during the summer transfer market in 2017 trying to cement their top-half Premier League status. But the Baggies’ investments failed to stop the club winning just two of their opening 12 games, before ultimately sacking Pulis in November.
He left The Hawthorns with the West Midlands side just a point above the Premier League relegation zone. Gary Megson then took temporary charge until Alan Pardew came in, but only lasted to April before Darren Moore stepped in as the Baggies finished in 20th-place.
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So, five years on from what proved to be Pulis’ last transfer window at West Brom, where are the manager’s seven summer signings from 2017 now with none still with the Baggies?
Jay Rodriguez first West Brom transfer of Tony Pulis’ last window, now at Burnley
Jay Rodriguez was the first transfer West Brom secured during what would be Pulis’ last window in charge in 2017. The Baggies bought the forward from Southampton for £12m that July after an injury-hit career on the south coast that returned 35 goals in 126 games.
He would offer The Hawthorns natives 33 goals and eight assists across 90 appearances in all competitions. Rodriguez would eventually leave West Brom to join Burnley in 2019 for £10m, where he remains today under contract until 2024 after 21 goals over 107 outings.
Yuning Zhang now at BJ Guoan after joining West Brom in Tony Pulis’ last window
Yuning Zhang is now back in China with BJ Guoan after joining West Brom during Pulis’ last transfer window. The Baggies signed the forward from Vitesse Arnhem for £6m for his first spell in England. Yet the 22-cap China international never made an appearance in England.
West Brom immediately loaned Zhang to Werder Bremen following his arrival in the West Midlands. He later returned to the Netherlands on loan at ADO Den Haag for the 2018/19 season, before joining BJ Guoan in February 2019 – where the 25-year-old remains today.
Ahmed Hegazy got West Brom exit in 2021 after joining in Tony Pulis’ last window
Ahmed Hegazy secured his permanent move away from West Brom in 2021, having joined during Pulis’ last transfer window. Al Ittihad paid the Baggies £3.5m to sign the centre-half after spending the previous campaign on an initial loan deal with the Saudi Arabian outfit.
West Brom had similarly signed Hegazy from Egyptian side El Ahly Cairo following an initial half-season loan deal. He arrived at The Hawthorns in July 2017, before completing a full-time switch in the subsequent January market, but went on to make just 31 appearances.
Gareth Barry left Everton for final stint of career at The Hawthorns up to 2020
Gareth Barry joined West Brom from Everton in August 2017 for £1m, for what would be the final stint of his career. The midfielder joined the Baggies on an initial one-year deal at 36-years-old, yet he would remain in the West Midlands until retiring from playing in 2020.
The former England international enjoyed 61 appearances with The Hawthorns outfit in all competitions. He held a key role at West Brom in the first two of his three seasons at the club, but would only feature in three Championship fixtures during the 2019/20 campaign.
Oliver Burke now back at Sheffield United after Millwall loan spell
West Brom paid RB Leipzig £15m to bring Scotland winger Oliver Burke back to England in 2017. He only spent one year in Germany after leaving Nottingham Forest, and remained with the Baggies until 2020 when Sheffield United offered a swap with Callum Robinson.
Burke had only featured 24 times across all competitions for West Brom before joining the Blades. He had also only scored once and created three goals, whilst spending the second half of the 2018/19 term on loan with Celtic and the ‘19/20 campaign at Deportivo Alaves.
Kieran Gibbs among Tony Pulis’ last transfers as West Brom manager in 2017
Kieran Gibbs was among Pulis’ last transfers as West Brom manager in August 2017 after joining from Arsenal. The left-back departed the Emirates Stadium for £7m on the eve of deadline day, and would remain in the West Midlands up to joining Inter Miami in 2021.
He featured 100 times for the Baggies across all competitions, trailing only the 229 games Gibbs played with the Gunners. The 32-year-old additionally offered nine assists and five goals before leaving The Hawthorns at the expiration of his contract and moving to MLS.
Grzegorz Krychowiak was Tony Pulis’ last transfer as West Brom manager in 2017
Pulis followed up Gibbs’ arrival from Arsenal by agreeing a season-long loan deal with Paris Saint-Germain for Grzegorz Krychowiak. The Poland midfielder would prove to be the final player the Welshman signed with West Brom, a year after joining PSG for €30m (£25.5m).
Krychowiak enjoyed 31 appearances during his year in the West Midlands, but only started in 20 Premier League games. He would join Lokomotiv Moscow on loan in 2018/19 before a permanent deal, then joining Krasnodar in 2021 who loaned him to AEK Athens this March.
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