Football has the peculiar knack of throwing up seemingly-scripted story-lines and then sitting back and laughing at what it has created. This weekend’s Premier League fixture between West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland provides exactly that in the shape of Albion’s new Beninese International, ex-Sunderland star, Stephane Sessegnon.
Signed on transfer deadline day in a club-record deal worth around £6m, Albion fans waiting to see if Sessegnon can ignite the team following a poor start have had to be patient. Very patient in fact. Firstly there was the fortnight break for a double round of international fixtures to sit through before catching the first glimpse of Sessegnon in an Albion shirt. First up after the hiatus was a trip to Fulham’s Craven Cottage where we saw, unless you were one of the unlucky few who were on the wrong end of a ticketing fiasco which resulted in the double-issue of tickets meaning you got turned away at the gates, Albion managed to snatch a point in second half injury-time thanks to the fantastic Gareth McAuley. But still no Sessegnon. Not even on the bench as a result of complications in the Work Permit process.
Now the whole process regarding Work Permits for professional footballers is a strange and confusing thing for me to truly understand. Someone will need to explain to me in pure layman’s terms the reasoning behind the need for the player in question to be playing for an international side ranked amongst the top 70 in FIFA’s current rankings and for him to have been selected for 75% of available matches over the last two years in order for there to be no complications or hold-ups during the transfer process. I simply do not understand it. Taking into consideration the fact that the player will be making very considerable contributions to the tax system it makes even less sense.
Now that all red tape matters have been resolved and Stephane is available for selection, the fact that his debut, if selected, will be against his former employers should ensure that he will have the bit between his teeth. Former manager Paolo Di Canio’s recent remarks questioning both the attitude and commitment of Sessegnon to the Sunderland cause should provide him with all the added motivation he needs. That he has also had to wait so long for his debut should mean that we have a live-wire, coiled spring of creativity to unleash come 3pm Saturday.
The qualities and attributes that Sessegnon brings to the squad; pace, dribbling and a direct approach, are exactly what we have lacked so far in our hugely underwhelming opening to the season.
Finding a way to fit the new attacking pieces of the jigsaw together as a cohesive and effective unit is now the task laid at the door of Head Coach Steve Clarke. Murmurings of doubt with regards to Clarke’s continued role will now need to be muffled by an improvement in performances and results on the pitch. We are in the midst of a very poor run which stretches back to around the January transfer window, a time when additions to the squad were required but not forthcoming. That Clarke himself now says that his squad is complete leaves little leeway for anything other than a sharp upturn in the club’s fortunes.
Should that upturn begin on Saturday against Sunderland, I would anticipate that Albion’s new club-record signing will have played a major part in it.
Prediction:
3-1 Albion as Sessegnon provides the spark.
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