Brayann Pereira arrives at The Hawthorns ready to embark on the latest chapter of his career.
The 23-year-old right-back, who has also operated as a centre-half, joins the Baggies looking to make his mark in England, the third country he’s played in so far.
Born in the northern French city of Saint-Quentin in May 2003, Brayann spent his youth career with local side Olympique Saint-Quentin Jugend before he was picked up by League 1 side RC Lens in 2017, shortly after his 14th birthday.
This gave Pereira the platform he needed to cement his career and, after featuring for Lens’ under-19s and B teams, he made his first-team debut in January 2022, coming on as a sub during a 2-0 defeat at home to Marseille.
After making another French top-tier appearance two months later, the France youth international moved further south to join AJ Auxerre that summer.
There, Brayann made two more League 1 appearances, playing a full 90 minutes against both Lille and Lyon in August 2022.
Six months later, he was loaned to third tier team Bourg-en-Bresse, but the summer of 2023 saw the then-20-year-old move across borders as he joined top-division Dutch outfit NEC Nijmegen for the season.
He made 17 appearances throughout his debut campaign, and soon enough his stay became full-time when he signed on two summers ago.
Brayann enjoyed a stellar first season in the Netherlands as a permanent fixture, making 34 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing two assists in the Eredivisie.
And things got even better last year, as NEC defied the odds to achieve their highest-ever league finish of third and thus secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League Qualifiers.
Pereira’s contributions on the right side of defence were crucial to his side’s success as they scored the second-highest number of goals in the league and averaged 60 per cent possession in their games.
Albion’s latest recruit has featured in every NEC Nijmegen match so far this season, including their four Champions League Qualifying fixtures. They displaced Greek giants Olympiacos before heartbreakingly going out in the Play-Off round to Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt.
He moves to England desperate to prove himself in the Sky Bet Championship and hoping to play a big part in James Morrison’s group.
