Darren Fletcher has left West Brom to join Stoke on a free transfer.
West Brom’s Darren Fletcher in action with Mddlesbrough’s Stewart Downing
Darren Fletcher has ended his two-and-a-half year stay at West Bromwich Albion and has completed a free transfer to Stoke City.
The midfielder put pen to paper on a two-year deal at the Britannia Stadium, finalising a move that Baggies manager Tony Pulis could come to regret.
West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis
Fletcher could hardly be described as a star player, but few in Premier League football can boast as impressive a CV as the 33-year-old – with five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup, and a Champions League winner’s medal.
Many critics simply dismissed the Scot as a squad player at Manchester United, but 340 appearances over 14 years in the first team (taking into account three years where he barely played because of having ulcerative colitis). Roy Keane has regularly praised Fletcher in the past and it’s well known how difficult it is to impress the former Red Devils captain.
It is this experience, working with the likes of Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson (among others), that makes the Scotland skipper such an important figure in the dressing room.
Sir Alex Ferguson in the stands
At West Brom no one, barring perhaps Fletcher’s former United teammate Jonny Evans, even comes close to what the midfielder has achieved. Having someone like that around the training ground and on match day cannot be underestimated.
Of course Pulis’ loss is Mark Hughes’ gain and Stoke have landed themselves a level-headed grafter who should complement flair players such as Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri.
And while some will argue that Fletcher’s performances on the pitch are not hitting the same heights as even a few years ago, as a club the Baggies could still live to regret this decision.
West Bromwich Albion’s Darren Fletcher in action with West Ham United’s Andy Carroll
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