Alex Mowatt admits West Brom will look to Brighton for style ideas this season
Returning West Brom loanee Alex Mowatt has revealed that the Baggies have been looking to Premier League high-flyers Brighton for inspiration in pre-season, in an interview with the Express & Star.
Mowatt spent last season on loan with fellow Championship side Middlesborough, where he played a possession-based style under Michael Carrick similar to that which Carlos Coberan is hoping to produce at The Hawthorns this coming season.
The 28-year-old midfielder is hoping that his experience at the Riverside last season will help him breathe new life into his West Brom career, having impressed both fans and the manager in pre-season so far for the Baggies.
Speaking to Lewis Cox, Mowatt explained the thinking behind the Baggies new style: “To be honest the style he wants to play is similar to Boro last year.
“We’ve watched a few clips on Brighton this season and when I was at Boro we watched a few clips on Brighton. We actually played Brighton too, I think that’s the new way of playing now, everyone’s looking at Brighton, who are playing some unbelievable football.
“It’s similar to how it was at Boro and I’ve been training with that all of last year, so it’s good for me with a similar style, I can come here and it’s not too much of a big change.”
Can the Baggies pull it off?
Last season the Baggies averaged 53.4% of possession in matches (according to FBREf), by no means meaning that West Brom completely dominated their opponents, but that doesn’t necessarily need to be the case for a side to be effective on the ball.
In comparison, Brighton averaged 60.2% of possession in the Premier League last season, whereas Middleborough had 58% so work needs to be done in the Midlands to reach the levels desired to match their inspirations.
But the Baggies haven’t yet been able to spend any money to sign anyone who fits this style, instead, they’re very lucky to have Mowatt returning to act as a new signing in the middle of the park for the coming season.
The added dimension that Mowatt brings is his effectiveness at turning possession into a goal threat, sitting in the top 10% of Championship midfielders for passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes while producing more than one chance a game.
If Corberan is able to get Mowatt ticking in midfield like he, did it at Barnsley, in a possession-based side, the Baggies could be in for an exciting campaign.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies are now in the market for a striker this summer