This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Rewind’ series, this content strand is where we rewind back to a particular moment at a club, assess the initial reaction from the fans, and then proceed to evaluate and reflect on whether fans were right to react in that way....

West Brom had a very busy summer with boss Slaven Bilic making a host of new signings to strengthen his squad ahead of what Albion hoped would be a promotion push.

And, it's fair to say that most of them have come off spectacularly. Semi Ajayi has been a rock at the heart of the defence, Romaine Sawyers is pulling the strings in midfield and Grady Diangana has provided pace and flair in the final third.

However, arguably the best addition has been Matheus Pereira - the attacking midfielder signed on an initial loan from Sporting Lisbon.

He has settled into life at The Hawthorns with ease, registering five assists and scoring two goals in his first nine games, whilst his overall performances, particularly in the past few weeks, have been outstanding.

That prompted FLW to look back at the reaction to the 23-year-old's arrival and it's fair to say most Albion fans thought they had signed a gem when the deal went through late on deadline day.

Despite the positivity, Pereira had endured a mixed few years before coming to England. He spent the previous campaign with Nurnberg, scoring three goals as they were relegated from the Bundesliga.

Prior to that he had enjoyed a productive loan spell with Chaves in the Portuguese top-flight where he hit seven league goals but it didn't convince the Lisbon outfit that they should have kept Pereira in the capital.

However, those spells would have done enough to show West Brom fans that they were bringing in a player who has talent and at 23-years-old the hope was that Pereira would just continue to improve.

And, that's exactly what he has done. Of course, it's easy to get carried away and it should be stressed that there is a lot of games to play in the race for promotion.

But, there's no getting away from the fact that Pereira has been a brilliant bit of business and is going to be integral to Bilic's side as they look to secure a Premier League return.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

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