The West Bromwich Albion team is solidifying its roster for the new season. Manager Darren Moore has, by all accounts, done a good job at bringing players together who complement and balance each other. The process wasn’t a walk in the park like playing at an all slots casino flash, but fans are seeing results in the form of solid wins for West Brom.
Some of the top players for the 2019 season include:
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Kieran Gibbs
Kieran Gibbs is currently West Brom’s left back. He came to West Brom in 2017 after playing with Arsenal as a winger. Gibbs also plays for the English National Team.
Gibbs got his start at the Wimbledon academy where he gained note as a left winger and a centre midfield. He was signed by Arsenal in 2007 and was given a position in the club’s UEFA Champions League squad. He also starred in the Arsenal quarter-finals against Blackburn Rovers before going on loan to Norwich City.
His early play was mostly as a left back and he was part of the team that scored impressive victories over Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur. When Gaël Clichy was injured, Biggs substituted and participated in the UEFA Champions League which Arsenal won against Villarreal. Gibbs played again in the semi-final at Manchester United (which Arsenal lost).
Clichy’s continued struggles with injuries allowed Gibbs to keep his position as left back for the team until an injury of his own sidelined him. Gibbs was able to get back into the game relatively quickly and continued to play for Arsenal until 2017 when he was named team captain. Gibbs focused his attentions on improving communication on the pitch. He was praised by former Manchester United captain Roy Keane who said "When I see Gibbs with the captain's armband at the end of the game you're in big trouble. If he's your captain or your leader, if he's the guy who's going to bring everyone together, you're in huge trouble."
Manager Moore said that the club is very pleased with Gibbs’ performance. “He’s a very good player. We know what his professional career to date is and where he’s been so he’s a proven good player. What others deem not good enough for them is certainly good enough for West Bromwich Albion and long may Kieran continue to show that good form that he’s in at the moment and to keep that consistency going.”
Gibbs performed admirably as a full back but Moore is pleased with how easily he’s taken on his role as team wing back. “He’s a great player, Kieran, and he’s a player that, with what we’re doing here, he’s bought into it and he’s shown his adaptability,” Moore said. “As an individual he’s enjoying his football so long may that continue.”
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Ahmed Hegazy
Egyptian-born Ahmed Hegazi is West Bromwich Albion’s center back, a position that he took on after playing full back for many years. Hegazy has been playing for West Brom since 2017 following a career that has spanned membership in both Egyptian and Italian teams.
Hegazy first came to West Brom on loan from Egyptian club El Ahly but Albion held an option to make a permanent transfer and in December 2017 the club exercised the option to sign Hegazi on a permanent basis. His first match against Bournmouth won him the Man of the Match award and immediately after, in his 2nd match for West Brom against Burnley, he received the same award for the second time in a row. The match is generally regarded as West Brom’s best start to a top-flight campaign since the 1978–79 season.
On the International scene, Hegazi played for the Egyptian national team at age 20 and he maintains his status as a permanent player on that team as a member of the back four – missing games only due to injury. Hector Cuper, coach of the Egyptian national football team, picked Hegazy to play on the Egyptian squad that competed in the 2017 Africa cup of Nations.
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Tyrone Mears
Tyrone Mears came to West Brom in 2018 after playing for a number of other clubs, both in the UK and internationally. Mears’ professional career started in 2001 as a substitute player in Manchester City. He was unhappy with his limited opportunities in the club and when the opportunity arose for him to move to Preston North End he took it where, according to Manager Craig Brown, he stood out as a substitute for injured Graham Alexander.
By 2003 Mears was struggling with injuries that sidelined him as he attempted to regain his first team. He competed with Rob Edwards and Graham Alexander over the wing-backs position and was awarded the club’s most improved player award for the season.
In July 2006 Preston accepted an offer for Mears from West Ham United and Mears signed a £1 million contract with the team which was upped to £1.9 million within the year.
Over the next 10 years, Mears played for Derby and then went on loan to Olympique de Marseille. When he returned from the loan he was picked up by Burnley and then by the Bolton Wanderers. He also spent time in the United States, playing for the Seattle Sounders, Atlanta United, and Minnesota United before finally returning to the UK to join West BromAlbian as a defender.
Manager Darren Moore was pleased to have Mears in the club. "Tyrone has got a wealth of experience and is a very fit footballer," said Moore. "He's got massive experience and I'm pleased to have him here."
