Towering midfielder Uroš Račić’s arrival on a season-long loan will be a huge boost to Albion’s midfield options.
The 6ft4in 26-year-old Serbia international joins the Baggies having already played in four different countries, with England added to a list which includes his home nation, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
Račić was born in Kraljevo in March 1998 and started playing in local academies with his brother, Bogdan. Uroš and Bogdan signed up to OFK Beograd’s youth team, before moving on to Serbia’s most successful club Crvena zvezda in 2016, signing a three-year deal.
He made his senior debut in May 2016, featuring against Radnik Surdulica in the SuperLiga as an 18-year-old.
During the 2017/18 term, Uroš played a key role in helping his side win the title, while also appearing 10 times in UEFA European competition. His form attracted Spanish side Valencia, who swooped in to steal the midfielder for a deal reported to be in the region of £2m in the summer of 2018.
He was assigned to the club’s “B” team, but earned a senior debut in the Copa del Rey against Ebro in early December, with ‘Los Che’ running out 1-0 winners. A month later he was loaned out to the Segunda División, linking up with CD Tenerife until the end of the term. At the end of that season, he played all three games for his country at the UEFA European under-21 Championships in Italy and San Marino.
The Serb was back on the move in the summer of 2019, signing for Primeira Liga outfit Famalicao on loan for the whole campaign. He played 33 games that season, scoring three goals, helping the club record a very respectable sixth-placed finish.
The following year, he finally got his chance at Mestalla Stadium. Račić featured 35 times in league and cup, and scored his first Valencia goal in a 4-1 Copa del Rey victory at Yeclano in January 2021. Uroš was on target in La Liga for the first time in the same month, notching at Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano against heavyweights Atlético Madrid.
His performances for his club side led to a national team debut in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in March 2021 in Belgrade against Republic of Ireland – directly coming up against Jayson Molumby in the middle of the park.
He played a further 34 matches for Valencia in 2021/22, earning more international caps for Serbia in the process, before heading back to Portugal in the summer of 2022 to join Braga on loan. While at Braga, he competed for them in the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League, as well as the Portuguese top flight.
The year he was with the ‘Braguistas’, Račić won a spot in Serbia’s 2022 FIFA World Cup squad, however, the midfielder didn’t feature as his nation failed to get out of the group in Qatar.
Uroš was on the move in August 2023, signing for Serie A side Sassuolo in a permanent deal.
The Serbian, who has 12 senior international caps, is known for his combative and box-to-box style, while also possessing a calmness on the ball in the middle of the park. He’ll be hoping to hit the ground running in England and feature on a consistent basis for Carlos Corberán’s team throughout the 2024/25 term.
