Jay Rodriguez has joined West Brom from Southampton for an undisclosed fee thought to be around £12million.
The 27-year-old striker was touted as a future England regular a few years back, only to have his time at Southampton consistently hampered by injury.
Overall, Rodriguez made 126 appearances for Saints, netting 32 goals in that time. 15 of those goals came in the 2013/14 edition of the Premier League, a season which also saw him win his one and only England cap.
The Burnley-born forward had come close to moving to the Hawthorns on a couple of previous occasions. He said:
After one or two ‘near misses’ I’m absolutely buzzing to be here.
Tony Pulis and Albion have made it clear just how much they have wanted me to join. That’s fantastic for any footballer to hear.
I’m genuinely delighted to be joining a club of Albion’s stature. The team is full of top players and it’s pretty clear that they are also a great set of lads.gn
Rodriguez made 34 appearances for Southampton last season and will now be hoping for a full campaign uninterrupted by injuries with the Baggies.
A gifted player when fit, he surely deserves a bit of luck in 2017/18. Although it will be interesting to see how he fits in to Tony Pulis’ disciplined and defensive side.