Romelu Lukaku advised Nacer Chadli to join West Brom this past summer.
West Bromwich Albion’s Nacer Chadli celebrates scoring
West Bromwich Albion star Nacer Chadli has told Het Nieuwsblad that he spoke to Everton star Romelu Lukaku before moving his move to The Hawthorns.
Chadli, 27, may have scored 25 goals in just 119 games for Tottenham following a 2013 move from Dutch side Twente, but he fell out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino last season.
West Bromwich Albion’s Nacer Chadli celebrates
With the transfer deadline approaching at the end of August, Chadli chose to leave Tottenham and pursue first-team football elsewhere, joining West Bromwich Albion for a fee believed to be in the region of £13m, according to The Guardian.
Seen as a player who can bring a creative spark for a conservative West Brom side, Chadli has already made a huge impact for Tony Pulis’ side with his devastating performance against West Ham earlier this month.
With two goals and two assists against the Hammers, Chadli starred in West Brom’s 4-2 win, and many were left surprised that not only did Tottenham let him go, but also that he joined West Brom.
Everton’s Romelu Lukaku
Now, Chadli has opened up on his decision to join the Baggies, and put part of it down to a conversation with his Belgian international team-mate Romelu Lukaku.
Everton star Lukaku enjoyed a fruitful loan spell with West Brom during the 2012/13 season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions before leaving Chelsea for Everton – and he appears to have urged Chadli to join West Brom.
Everton’s Romelu Lukaku celebrates
Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, as translated by Sport Witness, Chadli revealed that Lukaku told him that he was very happy at West Brom and that they had good fans at The Hawthorns, whilst another Belgian – Sebastien Pocognoli – also backed Chadli’s move.
“I spoke to Romelu Lukaku the day before I signed,” said Chadli. “He was there one year and said he was very happy, that there are good fans, a decent stadium and the training centre was cool. I also trained with Sébastien Pocognoli before moving to Brighton.”
“He didn’t play a lot there in 2.5 years, but said many positive things. West Brom is a family club, and Birmingham is a pleasant city to live in.”
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