Darren Fletcher quit West Bromwich Albion in favour of a move to Premier League rivals Stoke City.
Tony Pulis may have gone into the summer window hoping that he would not need to make too many changes to his midfield following West Brom’s largely encouraging season in the Premier League last time out.
However, a spanner was thrown into the works with Darren Fletcher deciding to switch the Hawthorns for top flight rivals Stoke City.
West Brom manager Tony Pulis
Replacing Fletcher will not be an easy task, but perhaps Pulis should view his departure as an opportunity to take more of a gamble and target a player who is yet to really establish himself in the English game.
Marco van Ginkel is one of the many names on Chelsea’s books who has spent the majority of his time with the club out on loan – previously making just two Premier League appearances for the Blues – and his most recent spell away at Stamford Bridge should perhaps convince the Baggies to make a move.
The 24-year-old was on loan at PSV Eindhoven and scored seven times and contributed three assists in just 15 Eredivisie appearances, so it is surely fair to say that he could add plenty of creativity to the West Brom midfield if he is able to replicate that kind of form should he make the switch to the Baggies.
Of course, it would be a risk for Pulis to try and make van Ginkel the man who replaces Fletcher seeing as he has only made 19 Premier League appearances to date – 17 of which, coincidentally, came while he was on loan at Fletcher’s new club – but he could prove to be a tremendous acquisition for the club if his recent performances out on loan are anything to go by.
Chelsea’s Marco van Ginkel (R)
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