View: Direct comparison with Leeds rival surely shows that West Brom ace deserves more credit
West Brom made a very smart decision when they brought Romaine Sawyers back to the club last summer.
After letting him go back in 2013 to join Walsall on a free transfer, the move to reunite him with his boyhood side is one that continues to pay dividends.
With 34 Championship games under his belt this season he has become a mainstay of Slaven Bilic’s Championship-leading side but still it feels as if he isn’t fully appreciated – especially by neutrals.
Take Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips as a point of comparison.
The 24-year-old is an exemplary player, so much so that he is spoken about as a potential England international.
And yet, the stats would suggest that Sawyers has been more influential than him this season.
His pass completion rate of 91.2% is 6.8% higher than Phillips’, his dribble success rate is 9.9% higher, and his total action success rate is 7.3% higher, as per Wyscout.
Sawyers also wins more aerial duels in the centre of the park.
Now, obviously, this isn’t an article arguing that Sawyers should play for England – that would be quite impossible considering that he already has 26 caps for St. Kitts and Nevis.
But the point is that he should be regarded on at least the same level as a player like Phillips, and it doesn’t always feel as if he is.
Take, for example, his pass map from the 2-0 win over Stoke City back in November.
97 passes with a 93% completion rate, you can see quite clearly that he dominates the central third of the pitch, moving the ball well with confidence and a board range of passes.
And we see a very similar thing if he look at his total action success rate from that match.
Sawyers performed 99 successful actions over the course of the 97 minute match, and as you can see from the visual above, was literally everywhere.
His high energy, high intensity performances have been a real asset for the Baggies this season, and if Phillips is supposedly ready for international football, then Sawyers is certainly more than ready for the step up to the Premier League.
In other West Brom news, ‘Blah, blah, blah’ – Sky Sports contact PL club & UEFA as Bilic fumes over West Brom treatment.