EPL News: Wigan’s Scharner moves to West Brom
West Bromwich Albion have officially announced the signing of Wigan Athletic midfielder Paul Scharner. Initially, the news regarding his signing had been leaked out by the media after which officials from the club confirmed that the player was now on a 2-year contract with them.
The 30-year-old Austrian is known for his play in different mid-field positions. He is usually centered in the midfield but also has experience in the centre back and can even play on the flanks. The Baggies desperately needed a proper midfielder and this signing would eventually help them have a proper man to defend the midfield and also the box in case of any onslaught.
Scharner’s new manager Roberto di Matteo is exuberant over the last minute signing. It was a close call for the Throstles as there were some issues with the final price but Wigan player’s salary demands were negotiated. That happened with some assistance from Albion’s chairman Jeremy Peace, who is hopeful that the player will fill in the gap and progress them further into the English Premier League.
West Brom entered EPL just this season. They still have the money to make more transfers during the second break of the season and their manager has hinted a possibility of signing maybe a player or two in January if all goes according to plan.
Scharner made 145 major appearances for the Latics and scored 14 goals during them. In the last season, despite Athletic’s fluctuating performance that ended them in the lower half of the table at the 16th position, Scharner still proved to be exceptional in the midfield. What Wigan lacked was a finishing pair. This fact eventually took them down a couple of notches.
This season too, the same story could be retold and because of this the club is now at a place beneath West Brom at 17th, that’s just on the brink of relegation. Wigan’s manager Roberto Martinez needs to have a very serious discussion with the club’s president Dave Whelan in order to make a couple of signings just like Albion has done.
Meanwhile, Paul Scharner has been earmarked for midfield duty by Di Matteo, with the Midlands club claiming that they fend off competition from rival clubs while bringing him in. Scharner also has been part of the Austrian national team since 2002 having 30 appearances for them to boast about under his belt.
On the other hand, Di Matteo told reporters, “I'm delighted to welcome Paul to the club. He is exactly the type of player we've been looking to bring in because he is a proven Premier League player, having performed consistently well in the top flight for the past four and a half years”. He stated that transfer inside an English club was comparatively easy to cope with but nonetheless he understood that it would take some time for the player to adjust and he was patiently waiting for that to happen.
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