View – Latest WBA transfer report seems like pointless venture after fresh deal confirmation
West Brom could make a late move for Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham before the end of the transfer window according to a report from Daily Mail.
The former Manchester City midfielder is reportedly a target for the Baggies, who are looking to improve their squad before the transfer window closes on October 5.
Albion could face competition for his signature from Southampton and French side Lyon, however.
But with Tuesday’s official announcement that the Baggies have re-signed Croatian midfielder Filip Krovinovic on loan from Benfica, it got us wondering do West Brom really need another midfielder?
He joins Jake Livermore, Connor Gallagher, Romaine Sawyers, Rekeem Harper and Sam Field as midfield options at the Hawthorns.
And bearing in mind that he probably wouldn’t come cheap, would Ntcham even be an improvement on the options Bilic already has at his disposal?
Let’s compare Ntcham’s stats from last season to Krovinovic’s.
Over the course of the Championship season, Krovinovic registered a passing accuracy of 86.8%, marginally higher than Ntcham’s accuracy of 84.5% in the Scottish Premiership.
The graphs below show both players’ figures – Krovinovic first, followed by Ntcham (Wyscout).
The Croatian’s passing accuracy in the final third was also slightly more impressive than Ntcham’s, with Krovinovic having a 88% success rate compared to the Frenchman’s 82.1%.
This trend continues when you look at the accuracy of forward passes from both players.
The importance of good quality creative midfielders in the Premier League cannot be overstated, and Krovinovic edges Ntcham out by a full 7.4% when it comes to getting his team moving in the right direction.
Of course, the Baggies are going to have their fair share of defensive duties to get through as well this term, but once again, Krovinovic eclipses the Celtic man.
The Croatian won 54.7% of his defensive duels last season, compared to the 50.6% Ntcham managed.
Taking all that consideration, signing Ntcham would boost the Baggies’ options in midfield in terms of the number of bodies that Bilic can call upon, but seemingly little else.
Albion aren’t exactly short in that department, however, and it really doesn’t look as if it is worth pursuing a deal for Ntcham considering how much effort would likely have to go into it, and the lack of obvious improvement it would offer.
In other West Brom news, Sun journo hints that WBA are trying to ‘starve out’ club in hunt for 22y/o talent.
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