---
title: "West Brom: Erik Pieters training with Baggies"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/west-brom-championship-erik-pieters-transfer-news-updates/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Henry Jackson"
section: "Championship News"
published: "2022-09-06T11:35:27Z"
modified: "2022-09-06T11:35:27Z"
---

# West Brom: Erik Pieters training with Baggies

**Former Burnley and Stoke City defender Erik Pieters is currently training with [West Brom](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/west-brom-news/) ahead of a possible free agent deal.**

### The Lowdown: Pieters profiled

The 34-year-old has enjoyed an impressive career, not necessarily being a standout player at his clubs but proving to be a consistently solid performer at a high level for over a decade.

Pieters has made [225 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/erik-pieters/alletore/spieler/43763) in the [Premier League](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league-news/), highlighting his experience and pedigree, as well as winning 18 caps for the Netherlands.

The veteran is currently without a club, however, and an interesting update has emerged regarding West Brom.

### The Latest: Defender training with West Brom

According to [*The Express & Star*](https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/west-bromwich-albion/2022/09/05/ex-burnley-and-stoke-man-erik-pieters-training-with-west-brom/), Pieters is training with the Baggies and has been for ‘some time’, although ‘talk of a contract’ has not yet been discussed.

A transfer certainly isn’t ruled out, however, and the fact that Steve Bruce is eyeing up free agents does suggest that a move could come to fruition.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”398271″\]

### The Verdict: Shrewd free transfer?

Should Pieters look fit enough in training, signing him on a free transfer could end up being a shrewd decision by West Brom, considering the know-how he possesses.

\[freshpress-poll id=”408508″\]

The Dutchman is capable of thriving at wing-back, left-back and centre-back, meaning his versatility would immediately give Bruce more squad depth, and he can be a senior teammate for younger players around him to learn from.

At 34, Pieters wouldn’t exactly be seen as a key starter every week, but his form in his last season at Burnley was still mightily impressive – according to [FBRef](https://fbref.com/en/players/1ef37668/Erik-Pieters), he ranks in the 96th percentile amongst full-backs in Europe for tackles and the 99th percentile for blocks (last 365 days).