Kevin Phillips blasts Matheus Pereira over statement about wanting West Brom exit
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips has blasted Matheus Pereira’s contradictory statement after the West Brom star confirmed his desire to leave this summer.
On Monday, the 25-year-old took to Twitter to hit back at Valerian Ismael’s claim that he wasn’t committed to the club or the Championship.
Pereira said he felt “extremely disrespected” as he challenged Ismael’s statement, even though he later said on his Twitter post that he does want to leave The Hawthorns.
Phillips doesn’t see why Pereira posted that statement when all he did was suggest that Ismael was right.
Speaking to West Brom News, the former Albion striker said: “He obviously wasn’t committed to West Brom – it’s as simple as that.
The statement was pointless.
“He might have been committed in terms of turning up to training but in terms of wanting to stay, he wasn’t.
“It’s ended a little bit messy.
“Fair enough if you don’t want to stay but if you’re going to make noises, you’d think he’d have decent Premier League teams lined up. As a West Brom supporter, you could kind of almost accept that because you want to stay in the Premier League.
“But to go to where he’s gone, he certainly wasn’t committed for me.”
Pereira has seemingly got what he wanted now with Sky Sports Italy’s Fabrizio Romano reporting that he’s due to undergo a medical with Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal.
Pereira enjoyed two stunning seasons at The Hawthorns, scoring 20 goals and supplying 26 assists in 77 appearances across all competitions.
He played a major role in Albion’s promotion-winning season and his strong Premier League displays fended off relegation longer than anyone thought the club would.
In other West Brom news, Peter Odemwingie has sent a message to Matheus Pereira amid the latest controversy at The Hawthorns.
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