West Brom star who nearly left has gone from scapegoat to undroppable: Opinion | OneFootball

Highlights

Despite a slow start to the season, West Bromwich Albion look on course to be competing for a play-off spot.

The Baggies were largely disappointing last season, as they fell off towards the end of the campaign and were unable to compete with the play-off sides.

It looked like it wasn’t going to be much better for the Midlands side, as they had a terrible summer as Carlos Corberan was only allowed to bring in three new players and, in the meantime, they lost a few key first team members.

It was reported during the summer that the club may need to raise funds, so three players emerged as possible departures, with midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah being one of them.

Could Nathaniel Chalobah have left West Brom in the summer?

The Baggies were in a situation that meant they needed to cut the wage bill and raise funds in which would allow them to bring in new players for Corberan.

It was heavily reported that West Brom were willing to let Chalobah leave in the summer for the right offer.

In July, the Telegraph’s John Percy reported, that Chalobah had flown to Israel to sign for Maccabi Haifa. However, it was soon revealed that the move had broken down, and he was back in England training with the Baggies.

West Brom signed Chalobah in January of this year from Premier League side Fulham, and he played an important part towards the back end of last season.

His future was obviously up in the air during the summer, but looking at the player and the team now, it may just be good news that he stayed after all.

How has Nathaniel Chalobah become an important player for West Brom?

As mentioned, it was a tricky summer for West Brom, as Corberan wasn’t able to make the changes he would have probably liked to.

So, the Spaniard has had to rely on the core of the team from last season and despite him looking destined to leave, Chalobah has grasped his chance at the Hawthorns.

The 28-year-old has appeared in 11 of West Brom’s 13 Championship games at the time of writing, and while he has only started three, he is growing and growing as the weeks go on.

The midfielder has started the last two games, and in the win over Queens Park Rangers, Chalobah even grabbed an assist for one of the goals.

In that game alone, he managed a shot and one completed dribble alongside his assist. He also completed 34 passes, which was the most this season, and his pass success rate was 94.1%, which also helped him collect two key passes, as per WhoScored.com.

The midfielder will obviously like to start more games for the club, but he seems to have worked his way back into Corberan’s starting XI, and he will be looking to make it three starts this week when they play on Monday night.

Chalobah has been hugely popular with the club’s fanbase, and he seemed likely to move in the summer, but the 28-year-old has proved that anyone can turn their career around, and it just shows what can happen when they have some confidence in their game.

Corberan has pledged his trust in Chalobah, and he will now want to repay that faith with performances on the weekend. He may not be the long-term answer for the club, but for now, he seems to be doing the job that Corberan wants him to do.