Albion have moved closer to the signing of Abdoulaye Meite after the Bolton defender flew back from Greece for talks.
The Baggies are locked in a two-way battle for the Ivory Coast international with Hull, after the clubs both had bids accepted by the Trotters.
Meite has reportedly left Bolton’s pre-season training camp in Greece to discuss terms with both Premier League new-boys, although he is said to favour a move to the Hawthorns.
The latest developments come after Bolton boss Gary Megson admitted that Meite wants to leave.
He now finds himself behind new signing Danny Shittu, Gary Cahill, Andy O’Brien and Jaroslaw Fojut in the battle for places in central defence.
Megson said: “The reason behind the Shittu deal is that Abdoulaye Meite is unsettled at club, having said that he would like to move on.
“That will only happen if the price is right. If he doesn’t go anywhere then we will go with the centre-halves we have got.”
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67 Comments
As i have already stated, if we get gazumped by Hull i might just lose all faith. This is going to turn into a wage bidding war, just what his agent is hoping for.
Hope we get this guy cos its getting a bit frustrating now we’ve seem to have found all doors shut in our face. I am beginning to envy Stoke for instance they may get Zigic and who are we after? We need a high profile striker cos i doubt how many gols we’ll score this season with what we’ve got after letting Phillips go, ‘ what a big mistake’ what a mistake. Come on get some real players soon or else we’re going down again very fast for the 3 rd time which is ridiculous! Don’t you think so?
Going for talks with Albion then he’ll sign for Hull.
Whats going on at the Albion, your getting the player to come for talks, then they sign for someone else.
You need to sort it out or it’s going to be a long hard struggle of a season.
1. Wage Bidding war you said? then we’ll lose him, cos you see its no use going into the premiership knowing you cant afford those sort of wages, we might as well stay in the championship forever cos even clubs like little Hull can do better “spending power that is’.
We’ll lets just HOPe for the best
Bomber - you might be right. I would like to think that it footballing terms, and also survival terms we offer a better option than Hull - but if its just a money decision then it could go either way.
I don’t think we pay too badly - but if Hull offer much above 20k a week then we could lose out.
At least reports say he prefers the Albion option - fingers crossed !!
You do realise he is leaving Bolton because he refused to play the second half of a game just because he didn’t fancy it?
Never played for Bolton again - and no-one will shed a tear about that.
This is an important deal IMO, not just for the Defensive role but for the piece and mind of Tony Mowbray, for weeks he has chased this target and after already missing out on 2 signatures this pre season JP needs to keep TM happy, not getting this player may well leave TM fuming.
2 - What do you mean “real” players ??
What difference does a”high profile” give you ? I prefer players who have talent and are prepared to fight for a cause - not ponce around talking about how they once played for Ajex….
Our strikers have all proved they can score (yes inc moore) plus our midfield is full of goals.
Phillips is injury prone and will only get worse - but he was offered a deal anyway - he turned it down - end of !
We will probably add another forward in the coming weeks - but it won’t be David Villa or Robinho.
In terms of wages im guessing Carson is on a pretty good whack, so we will wait and see.
If we do sign him at least we know he will be in good condition, Megson always demanded high fitness levels!!
it would be a disaster if he went to hull instead of the baggies after we lost out in the guy that went to rangers! i think our chances of staying up could be the differnce between him going there and joining us!
fingercrossed it will be a deal done soon rather than later as its not long for arsenal now!
I can’t understand all this negativity - are we are worried cos our reserves lost to walsall ?
Everyone seems to have forgotten the “winning the league IN STYLE - OH YES” from last season…
We are a premiership quality team - we were virtually a prem team last season - and we have already improved from then.
Out of the players that have gone, only Gera was worth keeping - and we already have his replacement(s) in the club.
If everyone is gonna get all gloomy then that will transmit to the team - look at our orange neighbours…
Maybe I’m misguided - but I am really looking forward to the season - we will lose more than we have in the last few seasons - but we ARE good enough to stay up.
I’M LOVIN IT - JOIN IN !!!!!
Tonywba
Couldnt agree more!!
3) Whats your name about?
Is that why a English international, A champions League winner & a Dutch u21 has joined us?
Meite will choose us over Hull! Fact. 100% ITK.
H_B do not get me wrong I have more optimism than our mate bomber lol, I’m just stating the fact how peeved off TM will be if he misses out on another one of his targets, only natural.
SOTV
More players come for talks and go elsewhere than players coming for talks and sign. FACT.
Thanks you very much for Phillips. Happy stating he’s over the hill, your having a laugh, you wish you still had him looking at your strike force.
i hope mr peace is available this week
16 - oh god - we are getting dissed by the blouses now - how embarassing….
Having lost Forsell i hope you can keep Kev Phillips fit - you’re gonna need him.
p.s - is there a direct route from Blues to Wigan now ??
12-happy baggie
right behind you lets all stay positive.
staying up the Mowbray way.
All Boingers…..
He has signed. Just waiting for a few “I’s” to be dotted……..
Blue noses & dingles….
YOU ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOO FULL OF ENVY !!!!
Now to all Boingers….. Get behind the lad’s it starts tomorrow. Real Mallorca is our first game of the season FACT.
Come on me babbies…….
14th hear we come……
Is this really the kind of player the Baggies want? As you said, he’s just going to go to the Club who offers the most. Will he have any pride in playing for the club?
3 - Interesting name, very supportive of your club, whoever that is. Lets check out a few more name.
Wolvesinbaggiesshadow, albionbeatwolvesagain, dinglehamptonflounderers, thechampionshipisourhome
So this signing of Meite seems to be turning into a straight fight between Albion and Hull. I’m not so sure we’ll get him as Hull may not be operating a strict wage structure and may outbid us. Lets see how it turns out but we should only sign players for the right reasons that benefit our club, not sign someone just to placate fans who are getting edgy. There’s still 3 weeks of the transfer window open.
I can’t see why you want a player who can’t get in the Bolton team when they have a bad defence..
Reply to Wanderer….
As usual a “thick” comment from a dingle…..
Maybe it is because he wasn’t playing that made the defence week. It is well documented that he had fallen out of favour with old Ginger b’s on a personal level.
The reason Ginner did not pick him was not on ability but on personality issues…… Can’t run a footy club like that & thats why Bolton are going down this year.
Anyway, got to go now as I have a little bit of business to finish off !!!
COME ON PLYMOUTH !!!!!!
23: I don’t think Bolton are defensively poor, they just do not score much. Although I have’nt looked at stats and they are most liely to prove me wrong.
Got my season ticket, ticket for the Arsenal, and just got my tickets for Bolton. Be positive, we are in the best position we have been in for the Premiershp roller coaster ride we are about to start on. Playing premiership football the Mowbray way, starting tomorrow at the Hawthorns.
Boing Boing
This signing isn’t going to make or break our season, neither was the Bougherra signing. However, all the positive energy generated after the Carson signing amongst the fans has begun to waiver a little. Signing Meite will settle everyone down and get people focused again. If we can also sign Zheng (Charlton) and a forward (and maybe Collins of West Ham but not essential) before the deadline we’ll be in great shape.
lets face fellow baggies , he will end up at hull , we will only offer the £5.52 an hour minimum wage !!!!! another reason to be cheerful !!
So he Meite or he Meite not sign for you… lol. I’m sure if anyone can get the best out of a player with such a questionable attitude then Mr Mowbray can.
if its true about meite i hope mr peace is at the ground this time ha! ha!.
Although lots of comments nobody seems to know much about this guy just have to trust Mowbray’s judgement. As for refusing to play, he’s not the first player to do that with Gary Megson is he.
Also what happened to Dorin Goian the big Romanian centre back we were interested in a few weeks back? He looked destined for Sunderland but I don’t think he’s signed for them.
I have just read on another site that Hull are reportedly paying George Boateng £35k per week.
I do not to profess to know our wage structure, but i would be surprised if it is as high as that.
12 Happy.
And the other positive ones who’ve come on after 14, 19, 20, 22, 26, 27. I’ve always wondered who the ones are that groan when a pass goes astray or boo if we go a goal behind. Ring any bells 2 & 28. A mate of mine is like this, he goes to more games than me but is the first to get on the teams back when things go wrong. Who is the better fan? I don’t know but I always wonder how much better we might play if we all got behind the club, all the time.
Also amazes me how many of our fans have an insight into TM’s mind. I’m a Baggies fan, how come I wasn’t born with this?
Staying positive about the talented players we already have. More to come in. But most important keeping the TEAM SPIRIT that got us here.
12. HappyBaggie
I’m with you mate. I for one am really looking forward to the new season with budles of optimism. TM will get a couple of players in before next weekend (although everyone seems to think that we need about 4/5), and assess how we are looking before adding to the squad if necessary in January. I, for one, am really looking forward to seeing Zuiverloon, Cech, Carson etc in our beloved Blue & White stripes.
If I had to put my house on it I would say a finish of 14th as the likes of Blackburn, Middlesbrough, Man City, Portsmouth (as proved last year), Bolton, Hull, Stoke etc don’t worry me.
Don’t forget guys, Wimbledon won the FA Cup with a very mediocre team but they had Spirit, Determination, Confidence and a style of play that got them results.
Anyway, chins up and COME ON YOW BAGGIES!
I find it hilarious how Dingles have the nerve to say anything about our club.
Let me cast your minds back 3 months.
1st West Bromwich Albion : Going to Arsenal 1st day of the season.
7th. Wolverhampton Wanderers : Going to Plymouth 1st game of the season.
See what I’m getting at, you inbred muppets !??
It appears everybody is getting nervous about the start of the season. IMO TM is still restructuring down to grass roots with very exciting things happening with a number of the young lads. Meite is on the wanted list but could have an attitude problem. Signing him may not be just about transfer fee & terms but will he fit into the Albion structure and team spirit. If the talks go well I am sure TM will secure the deal. If there are doubts let him go to Hull and move on.
22; He’s a Blues fan. No signings anybody ever heard of (apart from Frank) not going well is it? Never mind you are favourites to sign a fifth choice Bolton reject.
35.. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….serios delusions of grandeur matey…last season your lot were average…losing 13 games isnt quality is it now?? u were the best of a very bad bunch…you will be competin with stoke and hull and u know it!! fight fight wherever u may be
31 TH.
Good call. What happened to him?
32 Forever.
If that’s true, what are the odds on Hull being first club to go bankrupt this season?
Can’t believe all the negativty flying around and we have not even kicked a ball in anger yet!!
Have a bit of faith eh. I’ve got total confidence in Mowbray and JP to do what is best for the long term future of the Albion. One signing is not going to make or break our season. I firmly believe there is a few signings up his sleeve and if they’re anthing like Bednar, Tex or Koren, then I’m not worried!!
As for the Dingles!! Not interested. You are so last season!!!
Boing Boing!!!
it would be great if he came to WBA and would be gutted if he chose Hull over us. However it is beyond our control. Any news on Sponsors JP? Think that this has gone on long enough, fans want to know. Also, The West Stand (Halfords) lane is not finished, and us fans who have bought tickets for tomorrow, have to sit elsewhere. Blaming it on Floors to Go apparently. Would that be true? Knowing JP, not.
If Burfmeister says he’s signed and just waiting to dot the i’s etc I’ll take that as gosple as he’s been known to be right before.
We need this kind of player, I’ve said it 100’s of times before.
Also, the rumour mill has been rife with speculation that the new sponsor will be announced today as 888.com on 08/08/08….just what I’ve heard though?!
Looking forward to the match tomorrow and seeing me Babbies parade the Championship Trophy around the Shrine….haven’t seen our trophy since Loftus Road and I’ve missed her!
23. You don`t read the papers do you, mind you nor would I if I supported the dingles.
Made your sandwiches for the plymouth trip yet?
dear real ale bully , my comment was meant as light relief , a form of wit , but behind it is the very real fact we cannot compete with most teams in the premiership and if we do lose out to hull on this deal then we have got serious problems ahead !!!!
Baggies
What are we doing , why so negative. We are being infultrated and letting the views of our small minded lower league rivals cloud our judgement. Tm and JP got us promomted, they have earnt our trust so why let that waver before a ball is kicked. He may sign he may not. We should not feel that if he chooses to go elseware that is a reflection on us as a football club.
TM knows exactly what he is doing and signing players just to keep a few fans happy is not the answer. Trust the way we play and the players that got us in this position. To hear the way some of you talk i personally find dissapointing.
We will be just fine
Baggiessssss
alfred miller, if all us albion fans were as pesimistic like you then we would all be hung from the hawthorns rafters.
This meite is suspect. He did not light up the prem last season and i question his desire. Let him go to hull and join the rest of the has beens.
Dont under estimate our squad, we have no pressure on us now, everyone expects us to be relegated, so sit back and enjoy us playing sexy football and proving the doubters wrong.
Just heard from my sources that extremely upset, Real Madrid, Brazilian superstar Robinho’s just had a tour of the Hawthornes with a view to a season long loan deal. He’s delighted with the new Halfords lane developments and the prices in that 49p a pint pub in West Bromwich town centre. Boingo Boingo, as they say on the Copa….
Someone asked yesterday if Meite was any good or not, i gave an honest answer and said i knew too little about him to form an opinion.
In retrospect, i guess if he signs for us, i have little doubt he will be better suited to carrying kids up and down Blackpool beach for the princely sum of £2 a throw.
If he signs for Hull however, by the same token i have little doubt we will be informed we have missed out on the new Bobby Moore, and he has signed for a bigger club anyway.
49 - Dead right! It wouldn’t matter if it was Casillas who’d just signed in goal for us….he’d be past his best and lucky in the Euros etc, but a world beater if Stoke / Hull et al signed him.
I’ve given up worrying though now, just looking forward to being entertained every week at the Shrine and various Premier League stages.
I am convinced that we will finish in the top half of the premier .Last seasons bet I had ALBION TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP at 8-1 ,this season I am having ALBION to win the premier at 15-1 with a 42 point start more money off the bookies.THE FURTURES BRIGHT ITS BLUE AND WHITE.
30.. Change your name thats mine
I’ve only got one slight worry about Meite. When the Ginger-Ninja’s finished with a player, they are often ready for the knackers yard. Who was our regular left back back in 2002 and on? His statement when he left was that his body couldn’t take any more! He was literally punch-drunk. Regarding the misery. Last year the postings were similar, must have defenders, must have forwards as we couldn’t expect Philips to do the biz at his age…etc.
Cheer up folks, World War 2 was far worse! The players will need us to encourage them, all the time, regardless. Just imagine how you’d feel if Robbo came back as our leader. There! now you all feel lots better don’t you?
45 mac.
If that’s your idea of light relief, I’d hate to be around when you’re depressed. Don’t want to have a go but there’s a certain element of our support that seems to look for doom and gloom at a time when we should be full of excitement and anticipation.
Lets face it. We’ve had one heck of a lot of defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. Some one said that the path of our team was never straight or even straight forward.
Having said that, I will always follow the baggies no matter what division we are in. My daughter is a baggie nut and is already dreaming about when she can get a season ticket (she’s 16 and you can guess where we live from my nickname). I cannot envisage following another team. If you cut me I bleed blue and white stripes. We are playing as well, if not better, than when Ashman was manager. We seem to have the same fire as when Johnny Giles was there (and yes I was there at his last match).
The team will do okay. I believe we will stay up this season and then we can build. It will take time, but I know we will become a premier league fixture.
No 16:
“More players come for talks and go elsewhere than players coming for talks and sign. FACT.”
…correct, with the exception of the top 4 or 5 clubs i would say that is true for every club in the football league! Its always been the case that clubs/managers avoid throwing all their eggs in one basket and have only one target for a position (thats why i didn’t include top 4 or 5 clubs who DO have one target for a certain position) they always negotiate to get the best deal, as does the player and/or his agent and the agent will play the interested clubs off one another to get the best fee AND wages! Thats how it works mate - so by that nature there will always be a lot of talking between players,managers, chairman and agents that come to nothing. FACT!
I hope he signes as we need players in that area for the competition for places,another striker and a holding midfielder would be nice too,if it doesnt happen,we still will need to get behind the boys and encourage them and show our support for them,come on you negative thinkers get behind the team,show them what we think of them no matter what happens….
I think ToMo is sticking to the party line at the moment but I sense a shade of frustration in some of his comments where a player has not signed. We have been told through the newspapers that he has been tracking Boughera for three years . To lose him when he was available must be annoying to say the least. I am sure that when Tony came to the Albion, he was made fully aware of who does what and how the club would be run but even so, there comes a time when faraway fields look greener. I know this is negative stuff, but I am frustrated that as a club, we are not able to retain and sign the players we want.
Peace and Tony are doing a good job with the money available but…………..!!
If we fail in our attempt to sign Meite,then I
reckon Tony Mowbray could tempt Des Walker out
of retirement with Jeremy Peace paying his wages
of £150 a week.
53 Cyril.
Good to see you’ve got your sense of perspective right. We could be facing WWII or even worse have Robson back as manager. Excellent.
58 Jeff.
You are another who seems to have this direct line into TM’s mind. If he was frustrated about Bougherra, might it not just be frustration with the modern day transfer system.
The Albion fans hate being wrong and I love being right that’s why we clash but at the moment the club is a shambles as a Wolves fan I admit would love to be going to the Emirates but lets look at the problems you have:
-3 million on a reduced capacity stand (surely this should be going on squad improvement, again peace looking after his investment, improving facilities for his sale)
-Losing your two best players from last season.
-Signing no proven Premiership players (carson dosn’t fasll into experienced he’s better described as ‘unpredictable’)
-No shirt sponsor?
-club for sale (with no interested buyers, as predcited by laughingwolf)
-3 signings rejected albion instead signing for bigger clubs such as Celtic, Rangers and Northamton respectively.
Bottom line is you are going down with a bang, Mowbray won’t be your hero after 15 games of getting heavily beaten. This time in 1 year you will be playing back in ‘fizzypop’ league as reffered to by your fans and who knows hat hands the club will be in.
29 gary cooper, i love the way you lol at your own unfunny jokes,aye boing boing xxxxxxx
Laughingstock, see youre not going to Plymouth then, had a feeling you were an armchair fan.
Of course you wish you were going to the Emirates (or in your case watching it in a pub)but youre not and never will be unless you draw arsenal in the cup.
Blue nose
All that money, millions and millions of it and you have nothing to show for it. No wonder youre very bitter. Only sir jack has wasted more money (god how we love him for that)
Hope super kev plays a full season but sadly he wont match last years goals tally as you will expect him to control high hopeful balls and chase long hoofs up the park. Hes used to tapping in from 6 yards after a sweeping passing move.
Added to that youve sacked the best manager youve ever had and replaced him with someone so tactically inept he makes MM look like Mourinho.
Good luck, youre going to need it.
Loffing wilf 61. May be your going with your wife shopping like all the wolves fan did in the bhatti bros dark days. Remember around 3000 at the custard bowl against Bury? sorry you was not there!!
Big club, Big fan base. Short memory me thinks
Laughing stock - lol! When we start taking someone who can’t spell fall and Northampton correctly seriously, it’s time to pack up and go home!!
Despite what you say, I’m still looking forward to the new season, can you say the same?
We as fans cannot do anything about who signs and who departs, so lets get behind our team at Arsenal and especialy Everton at home,
Smethwick - As normal keep the atmosphere loud and over power the away fans
Brummie - Up the Anti and join in with Smthwick
East Stand - sing your hearts out
“West Stand” (Former “halfords”) - Dont live in the past of the Halfords Lane stand, your the West Stand know, its a new eara so become the understudy of the Smethwick End.
Come on WEST BROM!!