Five talking points from West Brom 1 Leicester 1

Jay Rodriguez could add what Albion have been missing

It took just ten minutes for Albion’s summer signing to light up the Hong Kong Stadium with a cracking 20-yard finish into the top corner.

It was exactly the sort of strike from open play the Baggies have been missing for most of the past two seasons.

Rodriguez, who played centrally against Slavia Prague, looked more dangerous drifting in off the left. It was in that role where he made his name for Southampton, and scored 17 goals from in the 2013/14 season.

Tony Pulis is never going to start with two up top, so it looks like that will be Rodriguez’s main role for the coming season.

If he stays fit, and isn’t required to do too much defensive work, then he could end up being a brilliant purchase, and prove – just like Matt Phillips did last season – why Pulis chased him for so long.

Promising debut from Hegazi

After being granted international clearance to play, new loan signing Ahmed Hegazi stepped straight into the heart of defence alongside skipper Jonny Evans and stayed on for just over an hour.

The towering centre-back looked every inch a Pulis player; he blocked and tackled well, and used his strength on several occasions.

Although Leicester had a bit of joy going down the middle, particularly for the Riyad Mahrez goal when Shinji Okazaki blocked Hegazi off, those teething problems can be put down to the fact it was the first time he’d played alongside Evans, who was moved over to the right centre-back role instead of his normal left-sided role.

With a few more training sessions and warm-up games under his belt, there is – at this stage – no reason why the ‘Nesta of the Pyramids’ can’t challenge for a first-team place next season.

Pulis may still want another centre-back this summer, but based on these 60 minutes, the Egyptian looks like a shrewd acquisition.

The kids are alright - but they need loans

Sam Field’s metronomic passing in midfield is well known to most Albion fans by now, but there was an eye-catching cameo from 17-year-old Rekeem Harper for the last 15 minutes too.

It’s only pre-season but the teenager put in a couple of nice turns and bursts through the middle that show why he’s now being talked about in the same breath as the likes of Jonathan Leko and Kane Wilson.

Leko, who’s progress halted last season, although that was arguably not his fault, sparkled on the wing. Wilson, who also played centre-back against Slavia Prague last week, looked comfortable at right-back.

There is talent coming through, but if any of them are going to make it, they need to be sent out on loan.

Unfortunately, Albion’s small squad made that impossible last season, but 10 minutes here and there at the end of Premier League matches won’t help. They need regular Championship or League One football.

The squad does still desperately need additions

Although the match was an even affair, the difference in strength and depth of the two squads was noticeable.

Craig Shakespeare made 10 changes around half-time and brought on a host of experienced first-team players. Pulis, meanwhile, only had three senior outfield players on his bench.

Albion worked wonders with a small squad last season, and there are benefits to having a tight group, but Pulis has admitted that he needed more bodies during the disappointing run-in.

Not only are additions needed for the next season, but they’re also important for the future of the club, because without them, Albion’s promising crop of youngsters (see above) won’t get the first-team minutes they need to develop properly.

There’s still a long way to go until the transfer window shuts, and the two signings made so far look promising, so there’s no need to panic just yet, but three or four more first-team additions are required.

Nacer Chadli still has to prove himself

While Shakespeare left some of his big names on the bench, Pulis opted to start with his first-choice XI. And the Belgian was the stand-out omission from the starting line-up.

That’s probably because Pulis doesn’t believe he is as fit as the rest of the squad who did take part in his Austrian fitness camp, but it is also a message to Chadli that he simply cannot expect to walk into the team.

Pulis has no qualms freezing out players he doesn’t want, as Callum McManaman will attest to.

He has a high opinion of Chadli’s ability, but as the old saying goes ‘hard work always trumps talent’, especially in Pulis’s dressing room.

There’s a way back for the former Spurs man, but the question is, will he be willing to work for it?