It looks increasingly likely that West Bromwich Albion will be without the talents of Matheus Pereira next season after his breakout year in the Premier League.

The Brazilian arrived on loan at the Baggies in the Championship last season and he was the driving force behind their automatic promotion back to the top flight, scoring eight times and bagging a mammoth 20 assists (transfermarkt).

And he handled the step up to the Premier League with ease, scoring 11 times in 33 outings despite the Midlands club suffering relegation.

A player of Pereira's talents cannot be expected to play in the second tier next season, and speculation is already underway as to where his next destination will be.

French site Foot Mercato recently reported that teams in England, Germany and France are all looking at Pereira, with the Daily Express claiming that Leeds United are one of the teams in the hunt.

With a departure for Pereira inevitable, let's look at THREE potential replacements that the Baggies could look at ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Jed Wallace

Many Baggies fans may scoff at the thought of a former Wolverhampton Wanderers player being the Pereira replacement, but as far as top Championship wingers go there can't be many better than Wallace.

Wallace only played 18 league games for Wolves so he may be excused, and in the past few seasons he has excelled with Millwall, scoring 17 times and assisting 19 goals since August 2019 in the Championship.

Whilst he doesn't have the Brazilian flair of Pereira, Wallace has a consistent end product and with just a year left on his deal at The Den, Millwall could end up cashing in if the Baggies come in with a good enough offer, but it would be a big loss for Gary Rowett.

 

 

 

 

Harvey Elliott

If West Brom want a mercurial left-footed creator of goals just like Pereira, then they may be able to tempt Liverpool to let them take Elliott for the season.

The 18-year-old just had his first full season in senior football with Blackburn Rovers and proved as to why he's one of the most exciting teenage talents in the game, scoring seven goals and assisting 11 more in a very competitive league.

There's a chance that Elliott could either get a Premier League loan or a move to a big league abroad, however Jurgen Klopp in his team will know he can excel in the Championship and in a team like Albion who you'd imagine will be right near the top of the table, his talents could develop even quicker than expected.

Siriki Dembele

A player who is bound to create a transfer auction this summer, Dembele looks like he won't be sticking around at Peterborough United after helping them get promoted to the Championship.

A natural winger who can play in the number 10 role and up-front, 24-year-old Dembele contributed to Posh's recent success with 10 league goals and 11 assists, but he's yet to pen a new deal with the club with just one year remaining on his current deal.

If he officially turns down the offer that's on the table then Dembele will go on the transfer list, and that will create a bidding war - with the ability to play on both wings it could make him a perfect Pereira replacement and it may only take a few million pounds to get the deal done.