Matheus Pereira's time at West Bromwich Albion is officially over after the club confirmed his switch to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.

The 25-year-old initially arrived at The Hawthorns on loan from Sporting Lisbon in 2019, and he played a key part in the Baggies earning a promotion to the Premier League in his debut season with the club.

Pereira stepped up a level last season not only in terms of division but also in his personal achievements as he netted 11 goals in the top flight as well as well as assisting a further six for his team-mates.

When the Baggies were relegated back to the Championship though it was always expected that the Brazilian would find himself in the Premier League sooner rather than later, but the likes of West Ham could seemingly not agree a deal for his services.

 

 

 

 

Al-Hilal were believed to have made a £6.8 million offer for Pereira earlier this summer - way below West Brom's valuation - but after a plea from the player via Twitter to let him depart after receiving an offer that would 'change his life', the Baggies have now accepted an offer that is closer to their asking price.

The Verdict

The Athletic believe that the fee to take Pereira to the Middle East is lower than £25 million, but whatever money is actually coming into the club should be enough for Valerien Ismael to re-invest in his squad.

It became quiet apparent that Pereira perhaps didn't fit into the Frenchman's style so he was happy to leave him out of pre-season matches, and it must have been known that an offer that the club would deem acceptable would come sooner rather than later.

With Pereira reportedly set to earn around £80,000 per week at Al-Hilal, you can see why he was desperate to make the jump and you get the feeling that West Brom are more than happy to get an unsettled player off the books for a significant fee - regardless of what he has done for them during the last two seasons.