Romaine Sawyers made a £3m switch from Brentford to West Brom this season, and the move has had an immediate impact on both clubs involved.

The midfielder began his career with the Baggies so was more than willing to return to the Hawthorns to play under new manager Slaven Bilic.

Compared to Darren Moore, the Croatian as looked to implement more of a passing style. West Brom have dominated possession in each of their five matches so far, and Sawyers has been integral to that.

The 27-year-old has played every minute in the Championship so far, and although he has no goals nor assists to boast of, he has been highly influential in the Baggies' midfield.

He is able to link midfield and attack with his passing, as well as use his pace and dribbling ability to take on opponents, which proves valuable to the counter-attack and when his side are transitioning from defence into attack.

He impressed at Brentford for many of the same reasons, but what is quite remarkable is that he has already made improvements this season, particularly in his passing game.

So far this season Sawyers has averaged an impressive 69 passes per game - the third-highest of any midfielder in the division - which is already a marked improvement on last season, when he averaged 59 passes per game for Brentford [according to whoscored.com].

Added to that, his passing forward and to the final third have also improved since last season, with an average of 19 forward passes, and 11 passes to the final third per match, which has the effect of creating more chances for his side.

Having Sawyers in the side has allowed Bilic's side to apply constant pressure on their opponents, so it is little surprise when they score late goals - like against Reading on Wednesday - or find that bit extra to win, as they have done in two out of their four league matches so far.

Comparatively, Brentford have taken a big dip in form despite adding notable players this summer in Pontus Jansson, Mathias Jensen and Bryan Mbeumo - all of whom arrived in multi-milllion pound deals. They have scored just two goals in four league games because they lack a player in the middle of the pitch who can dictate possession and the pace of the game like Sawyers did.

The Bees have good forwards but they aren't seeing enough of the ball in dangerous areas, as Sawyers' replacements have been too limited and have opted to play safe.

Sawyers has the ability to run from deep in order to open up space. That was vital to giving the likes of Saif Benrahma and Neal Maupay opportunities last season, and without it players like Ollie Watkins and Sergio Canos are becoming crowded out in the final third.

Brentford were tipped for improvement this year with some suggesting they could make the play-offs, and it appears Bilic bringing Sawyers in has not only improved his own team, but weakened that of a rival.