West Bromwich Albion sign Boaz Myhill
English Premier League team West Bromwich Albion have completed the transfer of goalkeeper Boaz Myhill from Football League Championship outfit Hull City for a fee of £1.5 million. The 27-year-old has signed a three-year contract, with the option of extending the deal for a fourth season, after agreeing personal details with the club and passing a medical exam.
New West Brom manager Roberto Di Matteo has expressed his pleasure at capturing the Wales international. He told his club’s official website: "I'm delighted to welcome Boaz to the club. He joins us at a good age and with a good pedigree, having helped Hull win promotion to the top flight and spent the last two seasons in the Barclays Premier League.”
If Myhill is to have a place in Di Matteo’s starting line-up as the Baggies return to the EPL, he will have to displace club captain and former England international Scott Carson from the side. He will train under the club’s goalkeeping coach Irishman Dean Kiely, who is also a registered player.
Di Matteo added that: "Boaz obviously knows what it takes to play at the top level and he's also a good character. I'm sure he will fit nicely into our goalkeeping department. We've now got two very good international keepers working under our goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely. Competition is vital in all areas of the squad and I'm confident Scott and Boaz will drive each other on."
'Fits the bill'
West Brom’s sporting & technical director Dan Ashworth said that the club had been keen to secure a top-quality goalkeeper after Kiely became a coach: "Boaz certainly fits the bill and we're delighted he's agreed to join us.He's already proved he can play at the highest level but still has improvement in him and we're now looking forward to seeing him give Scott a real run for his money."
With Hull facing debts of around £25 million after their relegation to the Championship, they have been left with no choice but to sell their top assets as they attempt to survive. According to The Sun, a block has been placed on the club signing new players, but Hull are having to allow players to leave in a bid to lower their wage bill of £39.3 million and as such, could not hold on to their goalkeeper.
Myhill started his career with EPL outfit Aston Villa after rising through the ranks as a youth player. After various other loan spells, he made his senior debut with Bradford City Football Club in November 2002. However, it was a day to forget for the ‘keeper as Sheffield United scored five goals against him. He failed to make a single top-team appearance for Villa, however, and was sold to lower-league Hull in December 2003 for a £50,000 fee.
Promotion success
Myhill quickly became the club’s first-choice goalkeeper and helped his club gain back-to-back promotion successes as the club found themselves in the Championship. In the 2005-06 season, he played in all but one of the club’s games. In a match away to Stoke City Football Club, he managed to save two penalties. At the end of the season, he was voted as the club’s Player of the Year. He was part of the squad which secured promotion to the EPL in 2008, having helped the club gain three promotions in five seasons.
In September 2009, he was rewarded for a string of fine displays with a new contract running until 2012. Unfortunately, his talents could not keep Hull in the EPL and they were relegated at the end of the season.
Myhill made his international debut for Wales in March 2008, and has featured for his country eight times.
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