West Bromwich Albion star Filip Krovinović has admitted he doesn’t know if he will be staying at the club beyond this summer when his loan deal expires.
The midfielder joined the Baggies on loan from Benfica in the summer as part of Slaven Bilić’s overhaul of the squad.
He’s proven to be a big hit at the Hawthorns, with 27 appearances in all competitions and two goals and three assists in them.
His popularity means plenty of West Brom fans would be happy to see him stay, although he admits he doesn’t know if this is possible as the club did not include a purchase option in the deal with Benfica.
“I think every player wants to feel the magic of the Premier League one day, it’s something special,” he told 24Sata.
“But honestly, I don’t know what my future is, my loan expires in the summer, and West Bromwich doesn’t have a buyout option in the contract.
“I just want to play as much and as well as we can, and then we’ll see what they bring us this summer.
“I really don’t know what’s going to happen in the summer, but I want to secure a Premier League place with West Bromwich. That’s my only goal; I’m totally focused on that success.”
The Baggies elected to hire Slaven Bilić on a two-year deal, having parted ways with Darren Moore back in March 2019.
The Croatian has proved to be as popular at his new club as he was at West Ham previously and Krovinović had nothing but praise for the Croatian.
“Our entire staff is fantastic, and Slaven Bilić immediately delighted me.
“We work great; he really has amazing communication with all the players. Everything works great, knows how to keep the whole team ‘strung, knows when it’s time for a joke, but also when it’s time for maximum seriousness.
“He has helped me adjust to English football; he has a wealth of experience; we all want to reach the Premier League because of him.”
Krovinović has taken to the Championship like a duck to water with West Brom, quickly adapting to both the physical and technical aspects of England’s second flight.
The division can often be one that catches players out, with a gruelling schedule and plenty of talented sides making it one of the most competitive in the world.
That’s something Krovinović believes, saying he has been impressed by the ‘fierce’ duels on offer.
“I agree that this is one of the toughest leagues in the world, you have a lot of matches, a lot of teams are very evenly matched, there’s nowhere to score three points in advance,” he added.
“And every team plays really hard, very fiercely. Every team has the right players; I really didn’t think there would be so many ‘Spaniards’.
“It’s hard for me to single out some names now, but one of those is certainly our Matheus Pereira.
“Yes, every team has some great connoisseur, but they also have those players who play hard, to the bone.
“The duels are fierce, the referees allow for tougher play, and many say the Championship is heavier than the Premier League.”
