Grzegorz Krychowiak will work hard to be in pole position at West Brom
Grzegorz Krychowiak has promised to work hard to earn his first-team place at The Hawthorns.
The 27-year-old, who arrived on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain yesterday, was one of the most coveted defensive midfielders in Europe 12 months ago.
He moved from Sevilla to PSG for £28million but struggled for minutes in Ligue 1 last season and so decided to join the Baggies in order to play more regular football in the lead-up to the World Cup.
However, Albion already have Claudio Yacob, Gareth Barry and Jake Livermore available in defensive midfield, and Krychowiak knows he has a fight on his hands.
“Last year was very difficult for me,” he said. “I didn’t play. Now I come here and I will work hard to play every week. This is the reason why I come here.”
Poland currently sit top of Group E by six points and are in pole position to qualify for next summer’s World Cup, but Krychowiak knows he needs to be playing regularly to guarantee a starting spot.
“It’s very important to play for my national team,” he said. “The World Cup is a big tournament. I’ll do everything to be there.”
Tony Pulis had tracked Krychowiak for two years, so he was delighted to eventually land the midfielder who made his name in Spain at Sevilla.
And it was the Welshman who sold the Baggies to the double Europa League winner.
“This is a very ambitious club,” said Krychowiak. “I met the players, there’s a good atmosphere, and the coach, I spoke with him. He’s very optimistic and I am too.”
Pulis had a £10.6m deal with Fenerbahce for Josef de Souza ready, but then turned to Krychowiak when he realised he was available.
And the Polish midfielder admitted the deal was done swiftly.
“It was very quick,” he said. “I spoke with my agent for the last four days and I had a lot of propositions from Spain and Italy but I chose the Premier League because it’s a new challenge for me.
“I’m very excited to play here. It was a dream and now it’s a reality.”
His arrival has given supporters renewed hope that another top-half tilt is on the cards this season, but the man himself is not setting any targets for the campaign.
“For me the most important thing is what happens today and tomorrow,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what happens in two or three months.
“For me the most important thing is training tomorrow and the next game.”
