When West Brom found superb value with Premier League promotion hero Hal Robson-Kanu | OneFootball

Hal Robson-Kanu signed for West Brom on a free transfer in the summer of 2016 following his release from Reading.

West Brom signed former Reading forward Hal Robson-Kanu on a free transfer in the summer of 2016 on the back of an excellent UEFA Euro 2016 campaign with Wales.

Heading into Euro 2016, Robson-Kanu's contract at Championship club Reading was set to expire, and at 27-years-old, he didn't have another club lined up.

The London-born striker made his debut for the Welsh national team in May 2010, having become a regular fixture for his country in recent years.

Though, heading into Euro 2016, little was expected from Robson-Kanu, and Wales in general, but they surprised everyone with victories over Slovakia and Russia in the group stages, followed by knocking out Northern Ireland in the Round of 16.

Then came Belgium, boasting the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku in their starting lineup, but Wales shocked everyone by defeating the Red Devils 3-1, courtesy of goals from Ashley Williams, Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes.

Robson-Kanu collected a cross from the right from Aaron Ramsey, before shrugging off Thomas Meunier, performing a Cruyff turn to render the Belgium defence useless, before slotting it past Thibaut Courtois in goal - it was a thing of beauty.

In one moment, Robson-Kanu went from impending free agent to one of the hottest prospects on the market, with links to numerous Premier League sides, clubs in the Middle East, China, as well as reportedly Spanish giants Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.

Ultimately, the Welshman chose to join West Brom, turning down lucrative offers from abroad to stay in England and secure a move to the Premier League.

West Brom's signing of Hal Robson-Kanu was an inspired piece of business by the Baggies

The Baggies fended off competition from other Premier League clubs and ones abroad to secure the signing of Robson-Kanu, who would go on to have a profound impact at The Hawthorns.

Under manager and compatriot Tony Pulis, he struggled to break into the starting lineup consistently during his first couple of seasons at the club, playing roughly just 1,500 minutes of Premier League football as West Brom were relegated in 2018.

Though from there, he became a regular fixture in the Championship for the club over the next two seasons, scoring 14 times and grabbing two assists in 74 appearances as the Baggies fired themselves back to the Premier League in the 2019/20 season. That campaign saw 10 of the 14 goals come, with the Welshman striking just under once every four games across the successful term under Slaven Bilic.

West Brom lasted just one season in the Premier League following promotion, being relegated in 19th in what was Robson-Kanu's final season with the club, making just 19 appearances and scoring twice, primarily as a substitute.

Hal Robson-Kanu had a greater impact at West Brom than what was initially expected

The Welshman, in total, made 154 appearances, scoring 24 goals and notching three assists for the Baggies across five years with the club.

He would retire from professional football following his exit from West Brom, and remains an unsung hero during their 2019/20 promotion campaign as well as a valuable squad player across his stay in the Midlands.

Robson-Kanu will largely be remembered for the goal he scored at Euro 2016, but Baggies fans will remember him fondly as being a key squad player during his stay with the club, which included three seasons in the Premier League.