West Brom with concrete offer for former Aston Villa midfielder
Published:Nigel Reo-Coker looks set to stay in Birmingham next season despite quitting Aston Villa at the end of last season.
West Bromwich Albion are leading the race to sign the midfielder after making contact with the player who is available on a free transfer, and Roy Hodgson is hoping to complete the deal sooner rather than later with Reo-Coker attracting plenty of interest.
The midfielder would be a strong addition to many of the squads in the Premier League and up to half-a-dozen Premier League clubs, including former club Villa, would welcome the arrival of Reo-Coker.
In Europe, Paris St-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Valencia have all been linked with a move for the combative midfielder but Hodgson is hoping his concrete offer will entice Reo-Coker to make the move across Birmingham.
West Brom finished 11th last season and Hodgson is hoping to bring in a number of summer signings to strengthen the squad as they target a top-10 finish next season, and the experience and leadership qualities of Reo-Coker would certainly be beneficial to the squad.
Despite Hodgson’s fine work last season in guiding West Brom away from the relegation zone and into a mid-table finish, the Baggies are the seventh-favourites for relegation next season at 7/2, and Hodgson has a job convincing punters his team are in for a stable season.
As well as Reo-Coker, West Brom are also chasing West Ham midfielder Jack Collison although they are more likely to make a move for former midfielder Zoltan Gera who is on a free after he left Fulham.
Moves for Reo-Coker and Gera would be shrewd signings by Hodgson who was dealt a blow by Shay Given when the Manchester City shot-stopper rejected a move to the Hawthorns.
Instead of dwelling on Given’s rejection, Hodgson is taking an active role in this transfer window and West Brom fans should be confident their manager can strengthen the squad ahead of next season.
