West Bromwich Albion have boasted an impressive ledger of players over the years despite suffering a tumultuous decade, using their fleeting Premier League status to often attract some fine talent.
This was no greater exemplified than when the Baggies managed to acquire Grzegorz Krychowiak on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
The Poland international had earned the bulk of his acclaim for his performances at Sevilla that earned him his £34m move to the French capital, although he admittedly never really managed to kickstart his career there.
Instead, he was shipped out on two loans, one of which saw him enter the Hawthorns after they had consolidated a fine tenth-placed finish.
It was thought that bringing in a player of his quality and pedigree could only help them surge further up the table, but they instead were relegated, returning to the Championship for the first time in eight years.
Who would you prefer to have at WBA?
The 32-year-old featured 31 times for the Midlands outfit and earned a mediocre average SofaScore rating of 6.77.
That was at least better than his 6.7 rating endured yesterday in his country’s 0-0 draw with Mexico during their World Cup curtain-raiser.
His disappointing display in the heart of midfield will have acted as further proof as to why West Brom were happy to see him leave in 2018, as they prepared for yet another season in England’s second division.
The defensive midfielder earned his 94th cap against the South Americans, starting at the base of a midfield trio that hoped to stop the devastating speed the Mexicans possessed.
Whilst they were held to a goalless draw, Krychowiak did little to help in that regard.
Although he did make two tackles, he was also dribbled past twice, suggesting that he was hardly a reliable outfit in the engine room.
This was most evident in his duels, where he won just five of the 11 he competed in, denoting a success rate of just 45%.
He could have salvaged his poor defensive display had he perhaps offered something to the attack instead, but with just 43 touches, a 64% pass success rate, and having lost possession 15 times, he was arguably one of the most wasteful players on the pitch.
On the biggest stage in world football, Krychowiak was handed a chance to shine, but instead, he flopped in Qatar and further proved why even a Championship club would not have wanted him back.
