Comment: Gareth Barry is short-term fix with long-term benefits
At the start of summer, Tony Pulis said he needed to lower the average age of Albion’s squad.
Last season the Baggies consistently had the oldest starting XI in the league, and the head coach knew that in the long run, keeping that team ticking over at such a high level was unsustainable.
He promised to target players in their mid-20s who were coming into the prime of their careers.
Which is why his decision to sign 36-year-old Gareth Barry as a midfield linchpin has raised eyebrows.
But Pulis’s words should not be used as a stick to beat him with. Jay Rodriguez is 28, Ahmed Hegazi is 26.
Barry, meanwhile, is being brought in as a direct replacement for Darren Fletcher, whose exit to Stoke caught many at the club by surprise and came after Pulis's comments.
He may be a short-term fix, capable of playing one or two more seasons, but you would be hard pressed to be find a more reliable one for so cheap.
The former Villa midfielder has played 30 or more Premier League games in 18 of the last 19 seasons. The anomaly was 16 years ago when he still played 20 times.
He finished in the top half in 14 of those campaigns and in the top six in 10 of them. He has a Premier League winner’s medal and 53 England caps.
His pedigree is unquestionable, but crucially for Albion, there is little evidence to suggest his powers are on the wane.
Last season, his pass completion rate was better than Fletcher’s, he created more chances per game, won more tackles per game, and intercepted more balls per game.
Of course, Barry benefited from playing in a better team more adept at dominating proceedings, but it’s telling that so many at Everton are sorry to see him leave.
It was around this time last year, after he scored against Albion at The Hawthorns, that Ronald Koeman said: “He’s one of the best players that I have managed because of his cleverness.”
Koeman didn't want to lose Barry, but respected his desire to play regular football, something he couldn't guarantee.
The sheer fact Barry, who is just five games away from breaking Ryan Giggs’s all-time Premier League appearance record, is moving to find first-team football bodes well.
That hunger and desire makes him the perfect fit for a Pulis team built on strong-willed characters.
There is also a potential long-term benefit to be had from signing him.
His arrival, coupled with one or two more, may allow Pulis to finally send 19-year-old Sam Field or 17-year-old Rekeem Harper out on loan.
Pulis is predicting bright futures for the teenagers who featured against Bournemouth last weekend, but only if they get a grounding first.
And he can’t guarantee them the necessary first-team minutes in the cauldron of the Premier League.
It will always be something of a gamble signing a 36-year-old, but all the signs suggest Barry will benefit the Baggies, not only this season, but in the future too.
