West Brom might have already signed Cedric Kipre replacement after Torbjorn Heggem transfer announcement
Torbjorn Heggem signing for West Brom gives Carlos Corberan a defender capable of filling the hole left by Cedric Kipre’s impending departure.
The Baggies confirmed on their official website (4 July) that they had signed Heggem on a three-year contract from Swedish side Brommapojkarna, becoming Albion’s second new arrival of the summer.
Norwegian Heggem, 25, joins the Baggies for a reported fee of £525,000 after just one year in the Swedish top flight and is a much-needed addition to the club’s centre-back stocks [Expressen, 26 June].
Carlos Corberan’s side had risked going into pre-season with just Kyle Bartley, Semi Ajayi and youngster Caleb Taylor on the books, with out-of-contract star Kipre looking increasingly likely to leave.
Torbjorn Heggem can be new Cedric Kipre for West Brom
Losing Kipre, as is expected with a free transfer to Trabzonspor heavily reported in recent weeks, will be a bitter blow for Corberan to swallow, given how integral the Ivorian was in last season’s efforts [Sabah, 11 June].
He made 46 Championship appearances and scored two goals to help the Baggies to secure a fifth-place finish and play-off berth to boot last term, playing a crucial role in the 19 clean sheets kept by goalkeeper Alex Palmer.
Alongside either Bartley or Ajayi, Kipre was rock solid and ever present for Albion, but his impending departure raises the question of what Corberan’s first-choice pairing will be going forward.
Bartley’s recent signing of a new contract – something the club had hoped Kipre would do – suggests he’ll be firmly in the fold, albeit the short length (one year, although their is an appearance-based option to extend) implies he’s not the long-term option [Club Website, 2 July].
Therefore, it appears that the duo of Ajayi and Heggem might line up against Bolton on the opening day, and with the Norwegian bringing a similar physical and technical profile to Kipre, Corberan’s side look to have engineered a solid foundation as they look to go one better in the promotion race next season.
In other West Brom news, Goodman has questioned if Carlos Corberan’s agent could be behind the recent links with Burnley and Leicester.
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