When the unknown Italian Enzo Maresca lit up a gloomy Hawthorns
Back in the summer of 1998 and the mood among West Brom fans was pretty gloomy.
Six years had passed since they returned to the old Division One - but so far they had failed to achieve a finish higher than 10th.
As it happens - Baggies fans would only have to wait another three seasons for successful times to return to B71.
But in that summer in 1998, the start of a lasting memory was set to be made at The Hawthorns.
A little known Italian midfielder was to turn up at the club and despite the side not having collective success in the following 18 months, he would leave his personal mark to the point that he still gets spoke about by fans, almost 25 years later.
Enzo Maresca was just 18 when he left Cagliari in Italy that summer for a shot at English football.
Remember, this was in the 1990s. The Premier League was starting to have an influx of foreign players as the riches continued to grow - but that wasn't the case in divisions below and Maresca was a rarity in the old First Division.
Despite this, Albion had Fabian De Freitas and Richard Sneekes in the squad - but the First Division wasn't bustling with foreign talent.
In fact, Albion would have two Italian players joining them that summer, as fellow midfielder Mario Bortolazzi also signed for the club. But the latter was more travelled than the youngster, having played for a number of clubs before turning out more than 200 times for Genoa.
So, how does an unknown Italian youngster turned up at West Brom, a club languishing in mid table in the First Division.
Well, the Bosman ruling had just come in to play and Maresca was out of contract. He was in contact with an Italian agent, along with Gianni Paladini, known for his role in a takeover many years later at QPR, and former Wolves striker Mel Elves.
Maresca was told there was a chance to move to England and to a club in the West Midlands. In previous interviews, Maresca has revealed a few clubs showed an interest - but it was Albion where he would ultimately end up.
The Italian explained in an interview in 2020 in the book, Buzaglo to Balis: "I was only 18 but I wasn’t worried about moving countries. I gave them the responsibility of finding me a new club in England and left them to it. There were a few clubs who showed an interest. Aston Villa was one and West Bromwich Albion was the other.
