West Brom court Koumas

[BrianCappellieri]

BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_bromwich_albion/2204198.stm)
West Brom are set to sign Tranmere midfielder Jason Koumas after lining up an improved offer of £2m for the Welsh international.

[DevilDave]

Right now, most Baggies fans won't think much of this until Koumas actually puts his name to the contract...

Last year, the Albion invested a lot of time and energy trying to bring Koumas to West Bromwich, and a fee was ultimately agreed upon (somewhat reluctantly) by Tranmere chairwoman Lorraine Rogers close to the transfer deadline this past spring. Jason, however, quashed the deal, saying something to the effect that his family was settled and he did not want to move mid-season. A disappointing outcome seen as a slap in the face by most Albion supporters.

Of course, at that time, it was also rumoured that he would be staying close to home by moving from Rovers to Everton.

And now here we are, not even 6 months later, and we're reported to have something on the table and ready. Well, will he or won't he? If he does feel that this is the right time to come down to the West Midlands, then I think most Baggies fans would be willing to forgive him for last year's fiasco - particularly if he lives up to the hype.

And if he turns us down again, then let Fulham or whomever have him. We don't need anyone playing these sorts of games on our squad. :mad:

[DevilDave]

It's being widely reported that Jason Koumas has handed in a written transfer request to Tranmere Rovers ( I saw it first on the Evening Mail/icBirmingham site.)

At least we know know where the lad's heart is this time round... :)

BUT, we still have this stumbling block in front of us. Tranmere are not budging on a fee. Albion have put in a bid lower than we did when we tried to get Koumas during our promotion run last year, and TRFC see it as somewhat of an insult.

Most recent reports allege there is a £250K gap between what Tranmere want and what Albion are willing to offer. But I think the valuation from our previous efforts were based on his helping us get promoted and appearances... and the fact that barring a specific request from the player, they would have had to have paid a certain percentage of the transfer fee...

[DevilDave]

Apparently, Albion have agreed terms with Rovers regarding a fee. Apparently, Koumas is on his way to the Hawthorns today (Thursday) for a physical and to discuss terms... if pen meets paper, he may well be in Megson's side against Fulham on Saturday.

It has been apparent over the last few games that Albion need a creative midfielder to drive our attack. Occasional flashes of brilliance against three of the best teams in the EPL, but something, someone to drive the WBA attack will be welcomed.

[DevilDave]

And if Andy Johnson leaves us, as he intends, then having Koumas as our prime attacking midfielder would more than soften the blow of Johnno's departure.