Nacer Chadli adding much-needed quality to West Brom’s attack

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The former Tottenham star has hit the ground running since his £13million club-record summer move to The Baggies.

With three goals and two assists to his name already, West Bromwich Albion’s big-money summer signing Nacer Chadli has already established himself as a firm fan-favourite amongst the Albion faithful, and the former Tottenham Hotspur star is beginning to improve Tony Pulis’ side’s fortunes in front of goal.

Often lambasted for a lack of attacking intent, Pulis sought to address the overt offensive shortcomings which led to his side registering a paltry 34 goals in 38 Premier League games last season by splashing out a club-record £13million fee (as reported by BBC Sport) to bring Chadli, who showed flashes of brilliance during a mixed three-year-stint at Spurs, to The Hawthorns on a four-year deal.

Chadli’s most successful spell at White Hart Lane came under Mauricio Pochettino during the 2014/15 season; with the Belgian stepping into the gaping chasm that Gareth Bale’s 2013 departure left in the Lilywhites’ side by registering 13 goals and five assists throughout a consummate personal 2014/15 campaign.

As Pochettino’s side began to evolve into the indefatigable, high-octane, pressing juggernaut they have become in recent times, however, Chadli gradually began to fall out of favour at The Lane, with many viewing the 27-year-old as a luxury player that a side which relies on such strict tactical principles could ill afford to accommodate.

With West Brom desperately seeking to remedy the issues which led to their barren form in front of goal last season, Pulis swiftly pulled out all of the stops to bring Chadli to The Hawthorns acknowledging that, whilst Spurs were keen to move a supposed luxury player off their books, he was exactly what Albion had been crying out for.

With Pulis’s frustrating penchant for selecting the defensively-minded duo of Darren Fletcher and Claudio Yacob in The Baggies’ engine room, West Brom are proficient at breaking down opposition attacks, retrieving possession and cutting off space between the lines. However, the midfield partnership’s glaring offensive limitations mean that Albion have often found themselves lacking the attacking sword to match their stern defensive shield.

The pair, whose application, it must be said, can never be doubted, have routinely struggled to link up play and create chances for The Baggies’ forwards; an increasingly insidious issue which has contributed towards the side’s lack of attacking fluency and woes in front of goal in recent times.

In terms of options to bridge the gap between midfield and attack, whilst James Morrison, Sam Field and Craig Gardiner each come with their own strengths, they do not possess the creative guile to regularly unlock top-flight defences.

Chadli, however, finally provides West Brom with the perfect outlet to seamlessly link the side’s midfield and forwards with his enviable attacking strengths; something that he has already demonstrated during his four eye-catching outings for Albion so far.

The Belgian international’s propensity to astutely drop into the hole and receive possession before playing neat incisive passes was on show again on Saturday, with his masterful interplay and awareness of teammates’ movement creating a majority of the whopping 17 shots the wasteful Baggies registered at The Stadium of Light.

Chadli’s and West Brom’s only goal of the game was a delightful one which, in many ways, provided a perfect microcosm of the former Spurs’ star’s attacking prowess.

The 27-year-old made an intelligent run from deep, killed the ball expertly with a sumptuous first touch, beat his man with a blistering combination of speed and brute strength, before despatching an unerring slide rule finish into the bottom corner. It all looked so easy, which is testament to the class that oozes from every pore of Chadli’s game.

If it hadn’t been for Albion’s criminal profligacy in the North East they could quite easily have filled their boots rather than ending the game with a sole point and goal to their name, however the statistics still show that they have registered six goals in the four games that Chadli has started this season; an encouraging figure when contrasted to the less than one goal per match they averaged last term.

The £13million man’s Baggies career has got off to a scintillating start and, if Pulis’ side can create a platform to harness the 27-year-old’s talent over the coming months, West Brom may spring a few upsets this season – starting with Chadli’s former club Spurs, who travel to The Hawthorns following the international break.