West Brom may have found new Matheus Pereira in academy gem
West Brom supporters have certainly been put through the mill recently, at least off the pitch.
Carlos Corberan has packed his bags and returned home, leaving the Baggies without a permanent manager and to top it all off, they’ve had a massive defensive injury crisis to contend with.
Since taking over, Chris Brunt has done a decent job and led the Baggies to a 3-1 victory over Preston on Wednesday.
While there have been calls for the Baggies legend to be handed the permanent role already, it feels like he still needs to prove his worth before he’s handed the keys.
Due to the injury crisis that the Black Country club are currently undergoing, a couple of their academy gems have earned spots on the bench with 19-year-old Harry Whitwell being one of them.
The attacking midfielder has already played for the senior squad this season as he was used for 78 minutes of their first-round EFL Cup defeat to Fleetwood back in August.
Although he hasn’t been used since then, his performances in the Premier League 2 have set him apart from his teammates.
Why could West Brom have their new Matheus Pereira in Harry Whitwell?
For West Brom’s Under-21s this season, the midfielder has played seven games and has contributed to seven goals thus far.
In fact, five of which came as his own despite being mostly used in a central midfield role (Transfermarkt).
The 19-year-old also has a keen eye for a pass as he’s often been used as the playmaker within the squad.
Granted, his senior-team outing against Fleetwood wasn’t the best performance of his career but if Brunt chooses to give him a chance this term, he could unlock a new element to his attack.
At the moment, the likes of John Swift and Jayson Molumby have been looked towards to be the creative force in the centre of the park but if Whitwell is entrusted, he could easily take up that role.
Matheus Pereira is arguably one of the best players to have represented the West Brom shirt in recent memory and there’s no doubt that fans would do anything to get him back.
If Brunt can find it within him to give the youngster a go, even if it’s just a short cameo from the bench, it feels unlikely that he’d disappoint, and he could even end up with status similar to that of Pereira.
In other West Brom news, Shilen Patel sent Baggies fans a New Year’s Day message.
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