Premier League side West Bromwich Albion have signalled their capability to pull off big money deals after they splashed a whopping £12-million to bring in England striker Jay Rodriguez from Southampton.
The move sees Rodriguez swap St Mary’s for the Hawthorns in a deal set to expire in the summer of 2021.
Rodriguez is West Brom’s tied-second record transfer, just £1-million shy of reaching the £13-million record deal the West Midlands heavyweights have paid to acquire the services of pacey winger and Belgium international Nacer Chadli from Tottenham Hotspur during last season’s summer transfer window.
The 27-year-old Rodriguez has been a target for Baggies boss Tony Pulis for quite some time now and the manager will surely be pleased he has finally signed his man.
Pulis’ dogged pursuit of Rodriguez may well have a point. After all, the former Southampton striker is known for his pace, work rate, and reflexes inside the box.
While his last season with the Saints have been tainted with injuries, he has still managed to score five goals and two assists in a span of nine starts in the Premier League – not a bad performance for a striker supposedly on the wane.
Club chairman John Williams could only be excited with the news, who said in his club’s website, “am delighted to welcome Jay to The Hawthorns. We tried to sign him during the previous two windows and it’s third time ‘deal done.’ Our persistence has been rewarded.
“Jay is a proven Premier League striker, an England international and a player who will give Tony more attacking options.”
The player, for his part, is excited to play an integral role for his new club in the upcoming season, saying, “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.
“The most important thing for any player is to be wanted – and 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,” the Burnley-born goal-poacher added.