Kim backed to be secret weapon

Albion star Robert Koren today tipped new room mate Kim Do-Heon to be the Baggies’ secret Premier League weapon.

Slovenian star Koren is room-sharing with the South Korean international on the pre-season trip to Holland after former room-mate Zoltan Gera left for Fulham.

And he reckons Kim, who completed a £500,000 permanent move to The Hawthorns this summer, could be a surprise package in season ahead.

“If people watch our training they can see how good Kim is on the ball,” said Koren. “He has great skills and technique and he is improving every day.

“Every day he gets better and every day he understands more about playing in England and what he needs to do to cope with it.

“So far we haven’t seen a lot from Kim because he hasn’t played very much, but he is working hard at the moment and hopefully the manager will give him a chance and he will show himself well.

“Anyone who sees training will see he is a quality player who has enough to play in the Premier League.”

And Koren is refusing to dwell on the departure of close friend Gera and striker Kevin Phillips, who both failed to agree new contracts this summer.

“Zolly and myself were very good friends and we are still in contact but these kind of things happen in football,” said Koren.

“It is between him and the club and he decided that for him it would be better to go to Fulham.

“We just wish him all the best but we need to move on.

“Of course it’s sad that we lost that kind of experience but we need to put it behind us. For now we need to concentrate on our jobs. 

“It is a shame to lose players like Kevin and Zolly because they are experienced players who did a great job for us but now we need to move on and focus on the players who are here this year.”