West Bromwich Albion may well fall short in their quest to return to the Premier League this season but the progression under Carlos Corberan has been impressive, and had the Spaniard been in charge from the start of the campaign, things may well have been different.
The former Leeds United coach took over from Steve Bruce and has led the Baggies on an impressive run of form which took them from relegation candidates to playoff contenders with a top-seven finish still mathematically possible with one game remaining.
One man who has continued his meteoric rise at West Brom under Corberan is Republic of Ireland international Dara O’Shea.
How has Dara O’Shea performed at West Brom?
The Baggies would sign the versatile defender on a free transfer from Irish side St Kevin’s Boys back in 2015 and he has quickly risen to the top in his eight years at the Hawthorns.
Loan spells with Hereford and Exeter City gave the young defender the experience required to make it as a regular in West Brom’s first team and he would enjoy a breakthrough 2019/20 campaign as the Baggies earned promotion back to the top-flight, featuring 21 times in all competitions and contributing three goals and one assist.
Slaven Bilic was full of praise for his impact for both club and country back in 2021, saying:
“He listens he thinks about his game. He is like a sponge. He listens to you and tries to improve his game, and that’s why his improvement has been really unbelievable.
“If you consider where he was last season at this time and where he is now, it’s like a fairytale. But he deserves it all.”
It was no surprise therefore when he was a regular in the Premier League the following campaign, making 28 appearances for the Midlands outfit as they were immediately relegated back to the Championship.
O’Shea now boasts 107 appearances for the Baggies, with seven goals and two assists under his belt, and it seems likely that he will be one of the key players for Corberan again next season, with promotion surely the aim after such a transformative spell under the former Huddersfield boss.
Across 37 appearances in the second tier so far this term, the Irish centre-back has averaged a strong 6.97 rating from WhoScored, which is only bettered by Okay Yokuslu and John Swift (both 7.02) in West Brom’s squad, which emphasises just how important he has become at the Hawthorns.
How much is Dara O’Shea worth now?
Unsurprisingly, O’Shea’s emergence as a regular for both West Brom and the Republic of Ireland, for whom he has 17 caps, has seen his market value rocket in recent years.
According to Transfermarkt, the Irishman’s market value in 2019 was around €150k (£135k), whereas he is now valued at €5m (£4.4m), which represents a mammoth 3233% increase.
Therefore, the Baggies deserve a huge amount of credit for bringing in such a talent on a free transfer and developing him into a top Championship player, who looks to have a bright future at the Hawthorns.
