Matheus Pereira has thanked West Brom for all they have done for him after he secured a transfer to Al Hilal.

The playmaker joined from Sporting CP two years ago, initially starring as Slaven Bilic's side won promotion to the Premier League. Even though things were tough for the team in the top-flight, Pereira still shone, scoring 11 goals and registering six assists as the Baggies were relegated.

Such form meant keeping the Brazilian was always going to be tough and after weeks of speculation, and a fallout with boss Valerien Ismael, Pereira has finally left for the Saudi giants.

Despite the messy ending, Pereira has reiterated his love for Albion with a message to the fans on Twitter after his exit was announced.

"Gratitude. This is the feeling that I have for the club that opened the doors for me two years ago. The club that believed in me, in my work, and gave me some of the best moments of my career. It was goals, passes, dribbles, defeats, but mostly victories I had with this shirt, and some of them out of field. Those victories came with the support and care that the Baggies' fans always had with me.

"Those victories came with the politeness and great treatment that every employee of the club had with me and my family. Given all of this, the feeling couldn’t be other than gratitude. Matheus is going to another challenge, but part of him stays here, in blue and white, and always cheering that this shirt always have the success that deserves. Thank you all!"

The verdict

This is a nice message from Pereira and whilst fans will be gutted to see him go, they will understand that this is an opportunity that he feels he simply couldn't have turned down.

From a football perspective, there will be no doubts that Pereira always did his best when he played, as he has undoubtedly been their best player over the past two years.

Having arrived after a tough spell in Portugal, which forced him to go out on loan to get minutes, Pereira appreciates how Albion helped his career and he certainly did his bit on the pitch in that period.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.