Wes Hoolahan would be a terrific signing for West Brom
West Brom’s post-Premier League transfer window, now that it’s closed, has divided opinion amongst supporters.
Two loans in Harvey Barnes and Dwight Gayle look like stellar additions as well as the long-term signing of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. What’s just as valuable is the retention of key players Kieran Gibbs, Jake Livermore, Matt Phillips and, despite the drama, Craig Dawson.
However, the position of right-back to replace Allan Nyom wasn’t adequately filled in the window and many fans felt the option of a target man striker wouldn’t have gone astray either. One of the biggest issues was cashing in on Nacer Chadli so late in the window and not finding a replacement for the Belgian midfielder.
This week though, even after the loan window has shut, the Baggies may have found their man in free agent Wes Hoolahan.
It has been reported in the past week that Darren Moore has handed Hoolahan and former Norwich teammate Russell Martin trials as he looks to add more depth to his squad ahead of a long season.
To look at it negatively, many will question why Albion would look to a 36-year-old player who wasn’t starting regularly for Norwich last year. However, many observers will know how much of a coup bringing the Canaries legend to The Hawthorns could be.
I’ve made it clear before just how much I would have appreciated working with him when he was 26, because he’s an unbelievable player.
As Norwich manager Daniel Farke stated, age was the only issue with Hoolahan. In fact, it’s more unfortunate if anything that Hoolahan is at such a late stage of career but quality trumps any age in this case and if he proves his fitness, the club would be foolish not to offer him a contract.
If you’re not convinced by what Hoolahan adds to a team, just look at his impact whenever he played for his country. Unfortunately, his 43 caps are far too little but when he played, every Irish fan will agree he was the only player that could truly make the team click. He could retain the ball, pick an incisive pass at any moment and show composure when needed most.
If any moment were to describe Hoolahan’s character, you must look back to Euro 2016. The midfielder missed a golden one-on-one opportunity in a must-win tie against Italy with less than ten minutes to go, only to ping an inch-perfect ball in for Robbie Brady to score the winner a minute later. Now that he’s retired, the future looks bleak and uninventive for the Irish team.
Darren Moore has started to get this Albion team playing and the likes of Harvey Barnes and Matt Phillips are excelling in this new system but there is definitely room for reinforcements. An expert in the number 10 role, Hoolahan could prove to be a weapon behind Gayle and Rodriguez.
So far it’s been a joy to watch Barnes flourish since joining on loan from Leicester but the fear is the Foxes will activate their option to recall in January if he continues playing the way he is. If that happens, is James Morrison ready to step up, stay fit and rediscover his best form?
The Hoolahan deal would bolster the numbers, add depth and prepare for all outcomes over a long season.
The reality is, if Hoolahan wasn’t in the back end of his career he wouldn’t be playing with any team at this level. The astonishing thing is how he still hasn’t been snapped up and Darren Moore needs to capitalise on this.
It would have been somewhat interesting to see how Nacer Chadli would have gotten on in the Championship had he stayed but now that he is gone, the opportunity to bring Hoolahan in makes a lot more sense.
The former Spurs man may have been West Brom’s record signing but snapping up his replacement on a free would be ridiculously superior business.