Reliable journalist claims West Brom set to announce new signing imminently
Slaven Bilic has said that West Brom expect to re-sign Gareth Barry later on Thursday.
Their efforts to bring the player back after he left in the summer after two years with the club were being halted by a dispute over an old agreement with Everton.
That stems back to an appearance-related payment scheme that was capped at £1.5m, which was signed when Barry arrived at The Hawthorns from the Merseyside club.
The Athletic reported that despite the cap not being reached, West Brom considered this void after Barry’s contract was ended in the summer. Everton disagreed and the impasse stopped West Brom from signing a new deal wth Barry.
However, according to Steve Madeley, an agreement with Everton has now been reached and it means there’s nothing standing in the way of Barry, still a free agent, signing today.
What would he offer?
In his pre-match press conference today, Bilic claimed that signing Barry “would be brilliant”.
“First of all you need that sort of quality and that character around you,” Bilic said. “On the pitch definitely, with his composure, his quality, his playmaking abilities. Of course in the dressing room and on the training ground. He’s the full package.” [BBC WM Sport]
Barry, 38, made 55 appearances for the club in his two-year stint.
In other news, Super computer predicts where West Brom will finish in Championship