da bet7： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
da doce： West Brom return to league action this weekend as the Championship’s top dogs as they sit first in the division, narrowly ahead of Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest on goal difference.
Slaven Bilic’s men have suffered only the one loss, which came just a week before the international break took over as Leeds United defeated them 1-0 at Elland Road.
They responded just a few days later with an impressive 4-2 victory against Cardiff City, as the likes of Charlie Austin and Romaine Sawyers netted their first goals in a Baggies shirt.
The Croatian boss has very much brought life back to the Hawthorns after the club were left hurting by playoff defeat in May at the hands of eventual winners Aston Villa.
Albion had no manager and a squad that had the potential to be decimated as Dwight Gayle returned to his parent club, while the likes of Jay Rodriguez, Craig Dawson and Salomon Rondon were all sold.
Bilic made measures to replace those departing figures, and the business he and technical director Luke Dowling conducted has been nothing short of impressive.
Semi Ajayi has proven to be a bargain at £1.3m while the enigmatic loan duo of Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira have quite literally lit up the west Midlands with their performances, combining for six goals and seven assists this campaign.
But the smartest of moves could well have come from within their own academy as Bilic promoted promising duo Kyle Edwards and Nathan Ferguson to the senior squad.
West Brom’s academy is widely regarded as one of the best in the country, so it’s no surprise to see players making the step up, but none could have predicted the impact that young Ferguson has had.
The 19-year-old started out as a centre-back in the youth team, but made his senior debut at right-back and has since started to make the left-back position his own while Kieran Gibbs faced time out through injury.
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His versatility may prove key throughout the season if they can genuinely mount a promotion bid this season – and the best part is he didn’t cost the club a penny.
Defenders do not come cheap these days.
Krystian Bielik cost Derby County a potential £10m while Tomas Kalas reportedly set Bristol City back £8m. Then, if you take a look at the Premier League, Manchester United spent £80m on Harry Maguire and £50m on Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
This masterstroke move has literally saved Albion millions of pounds – who knows how much they would have had to pay for a player that is as versatile and young as Ferguson.