West Bromwich Albion have confirmed the signing of French international Nicolas Anelka, acquiring the 34-year-old striker on a free transfer. Anelka spent the past spring at Juventus on a six-month deal and was released after making just three appearances for the club. He last played in the Premier League for Chelsea, in 2011.
Nicolas Anelka signs with West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion have added a bit of depth to their forward ranks by signing Nicolas Anelka, who has over 100 goals in the Premier League.
Maurizio Lagana
Anelka joined Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua in January of 2012, but left after the club reportedly failed to pay players on time. Juventus signed him to bolster their striker depth, but he rarely got off the bench for the club.
It’s been a long time since Anelka was a truly effective player at the highest level, but he hasn’t exactly gotten opportunities to play in recent years. He played in just nine league games in the first half of the 2011-12 season for Chelsea, scoring one goal. In the previous season, Anelka scored six league goals and 16 in all competitions.
“He’s got a great work ethic, looks after himself and is a consummate professional,” said West Brom manager Steve Clarke, who was an assistant at Chelsea when the club signed him. “If you add that to the obvious talent he’s got I think he can prove to be a really top signing for the club.”
Anelka could end up being a decent direct replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who spent the last season at WBA on loan from Chelsea. At his age, it's highly unlikely that Anelka can duplicate Lukaku's production, but he should make for a very good backup for Shane Long if he can stay fit.
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