Max O’Leary form assessed in detail after West Brom move, highlights wider summer conundrum
Max O’Leary has had a turbulent time since joining West Brom in the winter transfer window.
Albion had goalkeeper issues heading into the winter market, and the out-of-favour number one was an attractive option for Shilen Patel to pursue.
Coming in from Bristol City just a couple of weeks ago, O’Leary offered immediate experience, which was needed for the Baggies’ important Championship relegation fight.
The Irishman hasn’t been helped by the success of the team in front of him, but it’s fair to say he hasn’t put on consistently good performances either.
However, West Brom‘s 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on Saturday was the shot-stopper’s second-best statistical performance in an Albion shirt, according to Sofascore.
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Has Max O’Leary turned a corner in his West Brom career?
O’Leary is currently the clear number one choice for James Morrison and has started every single league game since arriving at The Hawthorns.
In that time, he’s managed to keep two clean sheets and has already played four more matches than he did with Bristol City in all competitions.
- O’Leary has played nine times for Albion
- He managed just four appearances for Bristol City under Gerhard Struber
According to Sofascore, from the 29-year-old’s combined league appearances at West Brom and the Robins this season, he has an average rating of 6.66.
To put that into perspective, the Baggies’ overall team rating is only 6.72 this season, so he currently sits among the average of performances.
O’Leary makes 1.71 saves per 90, but at the same time has prevented -1.71 goals in the 13 Championship games that he has featured in.
With just ten league games left to go, if the keeper can help Albion stay up, it might tempt Patel into keeping O’Leary beyond this summer.
O’Leary gives West Brom summer decision
O’Leary was always a shrewd piece of business on paper considering the 179 games he has played in his Bristol City career, many of which came in promotion-chasing seasons for the Robins.
Bristol City agreed to let him leave in January, with his deal at Ashton Gate set to expire at the end of the season. The Baggies then picked him up for a low-fee sixth-month contract.
It may depend on Albion’s ability to stay up, of course, but offering O’Leary a new deal could definitely be on the cards, so long as he keeps performing.
The benefit that West Brom have from this situation is that O’Leary is essentially auditioning for another job currently.
Whether that be the Baggies or someone else, he will want to secure the best possible deal for himself this summer, and that will only happen through impressive displays.