West Brom had a very busy summer as Carlos Corberan refreshed the squad following their play-off semi-final defeat to Southampton over two legs.
The early signs suggest that the preparation done over the last six months has paid off, as Albion presently lead the Championship after five games, with 13 points, and the manager appears to have established a stable XI.
Championship standings.
Team
P
GD
Pts
1
West Brom
5
7
13
2
Sunderland
5
8
12
3
Blackburn
5
6
11
4
Burnley
5
8
10
Another good is that they’ve only conceded two goals while maintaining three clean sheets, with Semi Ajayi stepping up and demonstrating his class following Cedric Kipre’s departure.
Cedric Kipre making his mark in Ligue 1 with Reims
The Ivory Coast international was superb for Albion last season, so many anticipated him to be a huge loss when he opted to depart after his contract at The Hawthorns expired this summer.
Despite the club’s efforts to keep Kipre, he chose to pursue a new challenge, and the defender finally joined Reims. The 27-year-old didn’t complete his transfer to the top-tier French club until late July, so he was always playing catch-up in terms of fitness.
Cedric Kipre West Brom
As a result, he was unlikely to start the season, and this was confirmed when Kipre was named on the bench for Reims’ opening, which they lost.
Kipre did, however, make two substitute appearances, first in a creditable 2-2 draw at Marseille, and then in the 80th minute of the team’s home win over Rennes.
After the international break, Kipre was declared ready to make his debut start for his new club, and he delivered a great performance as Reims defeated Nantes away.
So, it’s fair to say Kipre has settled in nicely with Reims, as he has yet to taste defeat, though he will have a tough test this weekend when they face champions PSG.
Yann M’Vila is playing in the French second tier
Yann M’Vila, who played for West Brom previous season, is now playing in France.
It’s fair to say that the former Sunderland player didn’t have the same impact as Kipre, but he did appear in nine games after signing a short-term contract.
At 34, it appeared doubtful that he would be handed a new contract at The Hawthorns, and that proved to be the case when the midfielder joined Caen on a two-year agreement.
The second division club made headlines this summer after Kylian Mbappé purchased a controlling ownership in the club, but they have had a difficult start to the season, collecting only one point from their first four games, placing them in the relegation play-off spot.
M’Vila has played in all four games, starting the last three, so the move has at least allowed him to get the minutes he needs at this point in his career.
However, he will be trying to inspire a turnaround for the club in the coming weeks as they attempt to climb the table after a bad start.
Read more news on:https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply