West Bromwich Albion have struggled in recent times to do the necessary business for their stature, likely leading to their midtable finish last season and current underperformance this campaign too.
This culminated in Steve Bruce’s sacking, after leading his team into the relegation zone.
However, in the summer he was admittedly offered few resources with which to work. The 61-year-old did manage to bring in eight new faces for a combined fee of £1.1m, utilising the free transfer market to full effect.
Whilst this lack of investment was not solely to blame for their miserable run of form, it has certainly been a factor in their continued absence from the Premier League, where the Baggies were mainstays for nearly a decade.
For the most part, this band of new recruits have established themselves as useful members of the playing squad. However, one name stands out in particular as someone who has starred.
Another of the six free transfers, John Swift was snatched from Reading following a sensational 11-goal and 13-assist campaign.
Was John Swift WBA’s signing of the summer?
Journalist Josh Bunting labelled the deal a “brilliant signing” of a “lovely technical player” and that has since proven to be rather accurate indeed.
The 27-year-old has taken to life at the Hawthorns with ease, and although his three goals and four assists are hardly spectacular, he has been a consistently impressive character in the West Brom midfield; so much so that he has featured in all but one of their Championship game this season.
What further exacerbates his sudden importance to the team is his average Sofascore rating of 7.21, which remains the highest out of any of his teammates.
Having assisted twice in his last two games under new man Carlos Corberan too, he now seems poised to improve upon this form further.
Despite his infinitesimal cost, his value on Transfermarkt has remained at an admirable level to further outline his continued success for his struggling side.
Although it has been higher across his career, it still remains at an admirable €4.5m (£3.8m) and could improve as he enters his prime years.
Swift is deserving of such a rating, and it seems that the “serious talent” that journalist Tom Barclay once saw is now flourishing into one of the Championship’s best players.
