West Brom signing Gabriel Sara would make absolutely no sense
West Brom have been linked with a surprise move for Sao Paulo ace Gabriel Sara, but they would be smart to steer clear of the Brazilian.
Reports emerged in Brazilian media outlet Ge Globo on Thursday morning (7 July) linking The Baggies with a £10.6 million move for Sara.
The news came out of the blue, considering that Albion do not often go in for players of his profile and especially not at that price.
However, if the rumours are true, then Albion should absolutely steer clear of the attacking midfielder.
The Athletic reported on Wednesday 6 July that Championship rivals Norwich City are also interested in Sara, so they should just let them have him.
Sara profiled
Let us get the obvious question out of the way, is Sara a talented player?
Yes, he is, but that does mean Albion should go out and spend almost £11 million on him.
Watching clips of Sara will show you that he is an explosive dribbler with an eye for goal, but this alone is not a justification to spend that sort of money.
Albion have already signed a player with a similar profile in the form of John Swift, who grabbed 24 goal contributions last season.
Swift was a much safer bet given his years of experience in English football and not having to cough up a transfer fee, further showing how Sara would be a risk at that price.
There is also the concern that he does not fit in with the profile that Albion are looking for.
Steve Bruce told the Birmingham Mail on Tuesday 5 July that Albion were looking to “do some wheeling and dealing”, not splurge an eight-figure fee on one player.
With Albion signing both Swift and Jed Wallace, two of the most creative players in the Championship last season, the creativity issue in their squad has been fixed.
Sara would be such an odd fit for Albion, and they would do well to stay away from him.
In other West Brom news, Callum Robinson could be heading back to former club Preston North End.