How did Grady Diangana perform alongside Matheus Pereira at West Brom? | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion secured promotion back to the Premier League on the final day of the 2019/20 season under Slaven Bilic and had two of their playmakers to thank for the achievement.

The Baggies would narrowly fend off Brentford for an automatic promotion spot that term, taking second spot by two points, while Leeds United lifted the second tier crown.

Two players hugely successful that campaign for Albion were two loanees in Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira, who joined from West Ham and Sporting Lisbon respectively.

The duo would form an eye-catching relationship on the pitch, using their pace, flair and natural vision to open Championship defences up on a consistent basis.

Both becoming fan-favourites, the pair would move to B71 on permanent deals, with West Ham academy graduate Diangana joining for a reported fee rising to £18 million, while Pereira linked up back in the Black Country for £9 million.

In their return to the top-flight, Pereira would continue to shine with his quality in the final third but could not stop the rest of the West Brom team collapsing collectively.

The 27-year-old registered 11 goals and six assists in his debut Premier League season, while Diangana failed to receive regular first-team minutes under Bilic’s successor, Sam Allardyce.

The Championship was where Pereira and Diangana were at their devastating best and Football League World compares how the pair performed together while on the pitch.

The Congolese international featured 46 times alongside Pereira for the Baggies, recording 2,542 minutes of action in a blue and white shirt.

The wideman would win 17 contests with Pereira by his side, while 13 draws and 16 defeats occurred under their watch too.

Diangana netted nine times and produced seven assists over the course of the two seasons in Pereira’s company.

The pair surprisingly combined for only two joint goal involvements during their stint but would earn 1.39 Points Per Game.

Matheus Pereira’s performances alongside Grady Diangana

The Brazilian was Albion’s standout player throughout the two seasons he remained at The Hawthorns, playing 3,616 minutes compared to Diangana’s individual total of 2,885.

After making the step-up in class from the Championship to the Premier League, Pereira found the back of the net on 10 occasions and totalled 22 assists when the couple played together.

Pereira is undoubtedly a player the West Brom faithful dearly miss, with his Premier League level ability a gift in the second tier to push the club back among England’s elite.

Despite dark times back in the top division, Pereira was a small ray of light in a dismal season, ensuring Albion had a source of creativity to make themselves competitive despite dropping back down to the Championship immediately.

The partnership he formed with Diangana during their opening terms at the club will be lodged in memories for years to come, with Baggies supporters continuing to hope the 25-year-old can return to that level of consistently high performances.

Carlos Corberan has a track record of developing struggling players, which has been showcased from his spell in the West Midlands so far, and a continuation of attacking contributions from Diangana will make Albion’s investment in the attacker look a sensible one despite years of doubt about the price tag.