Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Jack Colback is a potential target for West Brom and Birmingham City as the Baggies attempt to kick-start their transfer business, according Alan Nixon.
Colback was released by Forest at the end of the season having featured 11 times in the topflight as Steve Cooper’s side managed to secure their place in the Premier League for a second season, but now the 33-year-old is set to return to the Championship in some capacity
The 33-year-old was a mainstay as Nottingham Forest won promotion to England’s top division in the 2021/22 season, playing 46 times in all competitions, which has ensured there is no shortage of clubs chasing his signature.
Carlos Corberan is desperate to strengthen his Baggies side ahead of the upcoming season but has been hampered by financial fair play rules limiting arrivals at the Hawthorns to loanees and free agents.
Colback offers a rare opportunity to add genuine Championship pedigree to the West Bromwich midfield, without having to pay a penny and represents a level of safety and security a young player can’t.
In his last season in England’s second tier the ‘midfield general,’ was a force in terms of winning back possession, sitting in the top 15% of midfielders in terms of successful tackles per 90 minutes played (all stats taken from FBREf).
Defensively is where he shone, falling just outside the top 30% of midfielders in terms of interceptions while also being rather reluctant to clear the ball when in possession instead looking for short passes.
On the ball, it was well and truly a case of it being his job to give the ball to the more creative players around him like Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson, with Colback completing 81.5% of all his attempted passes, unfortunately very few of these are progressive
He is now a year older than the last time he played in the division, but with so much of his game based on his positional awareness and passing ability, he would be an excellent option to operate as the destroyer in midfield.
Comparing his stats with the outgoing Jake Livermore, who departed the Hawthorns at the end of his contract, the former Forest man shines. Livermore was in the 17th percentile of tackles per game compared to midfielders this season and in the completed fewer of his attempted passes.
Not a world beater, but a smart addition
No-one is expecting a 33-year-old verteran midfielder to come into West Brom’s midfield and start every match, play like a prime Steven Gerrard and carry them to the Championship title, but that doesn’t mean Colback can’t be a clever signing.
West Brom need some consistency, far too many of their players can look like world beaters one game and then like they don’t belong in the Championship a week later, the 33-year-old midfielder is much more likely to provide a six out of ten performance every week.
On a year long contract there is very little that can go to wrong if Corberan signs the former Newcastle United man, if the division has now passed him by, he can be used to see out in games in way like the role Chris Brunt filled towards the end of his career.
This summer doesn’t appear to be one that will bring with it particularly exciting incomings, so Baggies fans may just have to accept sensible, short-term, and cheap deals are what they’re getting.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies have entered negotiations for Aston Villa defender Kortney Hause
