West Brom boss Bilic shares what he noticed when scouting Matheus Pereira
Slaven Bilic was not only impressed by Matheus Pereira’s quality, but he was also impressed by the attacker’s attitude before he signed him for West Brom in the summer.
Pereira, 23, spent last season on loan at Nuremberg as they were relegated from the Bundesliga.
But that did not stop Bilic from signing the Brazilian on loan from Sporting CP in the summer after being thrilled with what he saw during his time in Germany.
“I watched a few games and he looked really top in a team that got relegated,” Bilic said, as quoted by the Birmingham Mail.
“I remember watching him in games in February when there is snow around, so it’s not like Brazil, and he looked great.
“They were losing, it was 2-0 for the opponent and it became 2-1, and he was the one saying ‘come on guys’. So not only the quality, but his attitude and mentality was correct as well.”
Pereira has been a revelation at West Brom.
The 23-year-old has scored three goals and supplied eight assists in 12 Championship appearances for the Baggies, who can return to the top of the table on Monday night when they play against Stoke.
According to stats by WhoScored, Pereira has averaged 2.3 key passes per league appearances for West Brom, which ranks him first among Slaven Bilic’s squad at The Hawthorns and sixth overall in the Championship.
Pereira’s creativity and ability to link up with the rest of the Albion attack means that he is a key player in the Black Country and is playing a huge role in the club’s bid for promotion.
In other West Brom news, Bilic could make one change to his starting line-up for the clash with Stoke on Monday.