When a team gets promoted from the Championship to the Premier League you’re always waiting for them to show their hand ahead of the upcoming season. Usually this comes in the form of some big-name purchases, but for West Bromwich Albion it has come with tying their star player last year to a long-term contract. Graham Dorrans was the key man in the Baggies’ promotion push last campaign and once again the Scotland international will be the first name on the team sheet for Roberto Di Matteo in the 2010/11 season. Could this be the best bit of business the Italian does all summer?
Dorrans won plenty of silverware last season on the back of his high-level of performances throughout. The Scot won the club’s Player of the Year award and the Professional Footballers’ Association fans’ Player of the Year accolade. His fine performances, in which he netted eighteen times for West Brom, also earned him three Scotland caps and the 23-year-old was catching the eye of clubs from around the country. West Ham were sniffing around and the Hammers reportedly made three concrete bids, the last of which was around £5 million. By turning these down surely West Brom have shown that they intend to put an end to the boing boing Baggies of recent years?
The midfielder has no doubt proved to be a bargain for West Brom, having cost them just £150,000 from Livingston in 2008. Comfortable on the ball, an eye for a defence splitting pass as well as goal, much will be expected of Dorrans in the same way that Blackpool will be looking to another Scot, Charlie Adam, to provide the creativity needed. The club should be congratulated for holding onto one of their most talented players, but now is not the time for West Brom to rest on their laurels and they need to use this deal as a springboard to attract other players to the club.
If West Brom are indeed serious about ending their relegation-promotion cycle then some high-quality additions will be needed. As always the key to staying up will be goals, but whether a loan move for Liverpool’s David N’Gog would be a great move I’m not too sure. One thing that will be of concern will be the amount of goals they shipped in the Championship, 48 in total, so no doubt defenders will be on Di Matteo’s radar as he looks to strengthen. Whatever players they bring in, it is essential that West Brom keep hold of their big names, and by securing the future of Graham Dorrans, they have done that and shown an important signal of intent for the upcoming campaign in what could be their best bit of business this summer.
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