View: Loan exit makes perfect sense for West Brom first-team ace with temp exit mooted
Everyone in the media has been raving about Nathan Ferguson’s breakthrough into the West Brom first-team this season but Dara O’Shea has gone completely under the radar for those who do not support the Baggies.
O’Shea, 21, had not made a single senior appearance for Albion before this season but emerged as Slaven Bilic’s starting right-back before the coronavirus pandemic brought the Championship campaign to a halt.
However the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has not really put a foot wrong in blue and white stripes with him earning 14 appearances across all competitions, starting nine Championship fixtures and even scoring his first goal in senior football.
O’Shea has been on the books at The Hawthorns for some time and before this season, no one would have really predicted the Irish defender to be the stand-out youngster for Bilic.
But when you look at his stats, that is no surprise at all.
WhoScored’s ratings have O’Shea as the second-highest rated player in the West Brom squad, behind Matheus Pereira, for his league appearances this season.
According to WyScout, the defender, who has played at centre-back but mainly right-back this season, has won 70.7 per cent of his defensive duels, 68.5 per cent of his aerial duels and 62.3 per cent of loose balls in the Championship.
O’Shea has also averaged 4.81 interceptions, 11.5 recoveries and 3.64 clearances per 90 minutes of league action for Albion.
In comparison, Darnell Furlong has averaged 4.51 interceptions, 5.7 recoveries and 2.19 clearances per 90 minutes this season.
Clearly, O’Shea’s defensive contribution at right-back has been far greater than Furlong’s, which is why the former QPR ace was dropped by Bilic to firm up a defence that leaked goals over the festive period.
With Furlong starting at right-back, West Brom conceded an average of 1.21 goals per Championship game. When O’Shea has started, the Baggies have, on average, conceded 0.6 goals per game.
O’Shea is definitely someone who fans need to keep an eye on but it might interest readers to know that The Athletic have reported he might be sent out on loan next season.
If West Brom win promotion to the Premier League, can Bilic put his faith in a young right-back that has only started nine Championship games?
Sending him out on loan to a top Championship club for a full season would be the perfect plan to ensure that the Baggies have themselves a top defender in the future.
In other West Brom news, there’s been an update on Grady Diangana’s future.
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