Nacer Chadli says that his good run of games at West Brom is a clear sign that the decision to move from Tottenham was the right one. Chadli became the record signing for West Brom in the summer after making a £13 million switch from London to Midlands. Since then, he has become one of the integral parts of Tony Pulis’ West Brom team that has been making a major impact in the Premier League table. Few expected the club to be in the top half of the table let alone challenging for the Europa League spots.
Belgian footballer Chadli had moved to Spurs in the summer of 2013 for around £8 million. Even though Spurs made a reasonable profit on the player, they would be extremely unhappy at not being able to provide the 27-year-old with a good number of chances. He has come with four goals and two assists in nine starts for West Brom this season, with one of his goals coming up against Tottenham earlier in the campaign. Chadli said that the decision to move away from Spurs was taken after having a look at his position in the Belgian squad during the Euro 2016.
Spending most of the time on the bench during this major international competition was not an ideal situation for the player.
“A lot of my friends could not understand me coming here, that is true,” said Chadli (via Daily Star).
“But then people don’t understand the meaning of playing football.“They are not in my position and they probably don’t love the game as much as I do.
“People sometimes prefer to be at a bigger club but being involved, even if it is at a smaller club, would be my choice every time.”
At the time of the move, Tottenham had just finished third in the Premier league while West Brom finished 14th in the table – only six points ahead of the relegation zone. As a result, there may have been some doubts about Chadli’s decision but it has been proven wrong once and for all.
Even though Chadli made the move to West Brom, he reveals that there were offers from China and Russia which would have paid him a lot more money. A number of players like Brazilian midfielder Oscar have chosen to take the riches of the Chinese super league rather than fight for a place in the Premier League. Chadli believes that he cannot be one of those players, as he wants to be competing at the top level as long as possible.
“If I wanted money I could have gone to China and Russia because I had those offers,”
“It was never about money. I chose West Brom because they are a good family club and people take good care of you. Everybody respects each other.
“I didn’t play a lot at Spurs in the last six months before the Euros so it was a logical choice (not to be picked). I almost expected it.
“That was the reason I decided to leave this summer and I didn’t think that my chances to play at Spurs would improve.”
Even if West Brom’s performances decline next season, Chadli has certainly made a name for himself in the Premier League and there may be no shortage of offers from even bigger clubs.
“The most important thing was to play for a club and be involved in the Premier League,” said Chadli.
“When I did that the next goal was to reach the Belgium team
Last season, Chadli made 40 appearances in all competitions and scored seven goals. His best season with Tottenham was during the 2014-15 campaign when he ended up with 13 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions.
