West Bromwich Albion have been linked with plenty of talent over the years, many of whom might have changed their status as a club seemingly perennially struggling to remain in the Premier League.
It is easy to speculate how big of an impact some of these names might have had, such as Virgil van Dijk for example, but arguably their biggest blunder was not signing Luka Modric when they had the chance in 2007.
Would Modric be as good today had he started his career at West Brom?
The Croatian maestro, who has gone on to captain his country to a World Cup final and win a Ballon d’Or, has announced himself as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.
Reportedly, the season before he would make his move from Dinamo Zagreb to Tottenham Hotspur, he was instead ready to make the switch to the Hawthorns.
The move depended solely on whether Tony Mowbray could steer his side to promotion, which unfortunately Derby County prevented in the play-off final. Jeremy Peace, the owner at the time, reportedly had a fine relationship with the Croatian club, but could not tempt them or Modric to transfer without Premier League football.
Whilst they would earn promotion the season following, they had already missed out on their target. He moved to Spurs for £15m, and just four years later make his £30m switch to Real Madrid, where he has since won five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles.
His pass mastery and incredible longevity mean that even today he remains one of the Europe’s best, as he ranks in the top 5% for progressive passes, and the top 2% for assists per 90.
There are arguably few better on the planet who could thread a ball through like the 37-year-old and had he moved to the Baggies, he could’ve been “magic” in their midfield to promote them a year early and sustain them for the foreseeable future.
He has featured 445 times for Los Blancos, scoring 33 and assisting 73 from his deep midfield role. For country, he shoulders more of the offensive burden, however, as he has 23 goals and 24 assists during his 154 caps.
To think that his career truly took off in north London, it will always remain a great ‘what if?’ story with regard to whether Modric would have made a switch to the Midlands, and just how sensational he could’ve been for them.
