Nacer Chadli was sensational against West Ham – West Bromwich Albion’s next opponents – when he came up against them last term.
West Brom take on West Ham this weekend looking to put the painful memories of Saturday’s hugely disappointing defeat to Brighton behind them.
Tony Pulis’ men generally looked poor against the Seagulls and asked few questions of Chris Hughton’s side, especially going forward – so perhaps now is the time to bring Nacer Chadli back into the fold properly, especially given who their next opponents are.
BBC Sport reported during the transfer window that the Belgian was heavily linked with a move to Swansea City during the summer, and even wanted to make the switch to the Liberty Stadium.
The move obviously did not take place, but Chadli did not even make the matchday squad for their trip to Brighton at the weekend, leaving him still awaiting his first Premier League appearance of the season.
So perhaps Pulis should look at the attacking midfielder’s previous performance against the Hammers at The Hawthorns and realise that now is the perfect time to reintegrate the 28-year-old.
Chadli was simply sensational when the Irons visited last time – coincidentally, nearly exactly a year to the day from when they travel to the Midlands this time around – as he scored twice and contributed two assists in a 4-2 win that blew Slaven Bilic’s side away.
Obviously, to expect Chadli to put in a similar display this time around would be unfair given that his sole Baggies appearance this term came in the League Cup clash with Accrington Stanley.
But having lost in such disappointing fashion at the weekend, Pulis could surely do a lot worse than throw Chadli back into the mix in the hope that facing a team he dismantled last term helps restore his confidence.
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