Ex-West Bromwich Albion forward Kevin Phillips believes Baggies manager Valerien Ismael should get 75% of the revenue generated by Matheus Pereira's sale to strengthen his squad this summer, speaking to West Brom News.

The 25-year-old made the move to Al-Hilal for an undisclosed fee last week, ending months of speculation surrounding his future at The Hawthorns following the West Midlands side's relegation from the top flight.

After recording an impressive 17 goal contributions in 33 Premier League appearances last term, he was expected to make the move up to one of Europe's top leagues despite only joining West Brom permanently last summer.

 

 

As per a report from the Daily Express in May, Leicester City, West Ham United, Leeds United and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig were all gearing up to make a move for the Pereira

However, Saudi side Al-Hilal swooped in for the Brazilian winger and made him an offer he couldn't refuse, signing him up to a five-year deal as he made the move away from England.

With his departure, Valerian Ismael's side will be keen to recruit a replacement for one of their former key players and have already identified Derby County's Tom Lawrence as a potential target.

But this isn't the only position the Baggies will want to strengthen, with another central midfielder and a new striker also on the top of their transfer priority list.

Former West Brom player Kevin Phillips believes the French manager should receive a substantial chunk of the money generated from Pereira's sale and in an interview with West Brom News, said: "We all know they have areas that need strengthening.

"If they can get a striker in for that sort of money it’ll be good business.

"It should be a good sizeable sum of money but if the manager’s not given any of that, he’ll be disappointed because he’d like to strengthen that squad with the rigours of the season, the number of games, the injuries they’ll pick up and suspensions.

"It remains to be seen whether he can but I’d like to see the manager be given the funds."

The Verdict:

Kevin Phillips has already identified two ways the club could reinvest this money wisely back into their first-team squad - and he's hit the nail on the head with both.

He suggested some of these funds should be included in a bumper contract offer to Sam Johnstone, who looks set to leave The Hawthorns for free next summer unless they can tie him down to a new contract.

And he also identified former loanee Okay Yokuslu as someone they could now chase with this money. The Turkish international was impressive in the West Midlands during the second half of last season - and could be a useful addition with Romaine Sawyers rumoured to be on his way out.

But they also need to focus their attention on a replacement for Pereira and a forward.

Although the fee paid by Al-Hilal for the 25-year-old remains undisclosed, the type of agreement reached between the two sides should give the Baggies the ability to target former Barnsley loanee Daryl Dike, who was a target for Valerien Ismael's side even before his arrival.

They will need to make sure they have enough money left to recruit a winger though - and the signing they make to replace Pereira could be key to promotion - so they have to get it right. This is why they should spend a bit of extra time identifying targets before making their move.

But regardless of the approach they take in replacing the Brazilian, manager Ismael should have access to a decent chunk of the funds raised by his departure.

75% is about the right percentage.