Albion enter Frederic Piquionne race
Tuesday 29th June 2010, 10:59AM BST.
Albion have entered the race to sign former Portsmouth striker Frederic Piquionne for around £800,000.
The 31-year-old, now back with his parent club Lyon after last season’s loan to Fratton Park, is also wanted by Fulham and West Ham.
Fulham are believed to be at the head of a queue of Premier League clubs wanting to make a pitch to Piquionne.
Blackburn and West Ham have also registered their interest, which suggests that the player could be a tough deal to crack for Albion.
But it’s now understood that the Baggies have made a formal offer to Lyon, which will see them pitching for the player’s services.
It’s the first concrete development from the Hawthorns, where boss Roberto Di Matteo has a modest budget but is keen to add to his forward options.
The head coach has been linked heavily with James Beattie at Stoke, who remains an option but appears to be behind Piquionne in Di Matteo’s preferred pecking order.
Throughout the carnage of last season’s crises for the south coast club, Piquionne was viewed as a measured success scoring 11 goals despite the team’s relegation.
Turkish side Fenerbahce have also made an offer for him, but the Frenchman is understood to be ready to snub overtures from the Turks as he has his heart set on a switch to England.
And it is expected that Albion will get their chance to “test the water” with Piquionne this week, when he is expected to travel to England for talks with interested suitors.
Signals confirming Albion’s move for the striker come at the same time as the club distanced itself strongly from offering the second-choice goalkeeping vacancy to Sunderland’s Marton Fulop.
Instead the Baggies, who want a goalkeeper to slot in between Carson, are being linked with Watford’s England under-21 international Scott Loach.
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
Saddlers Blog
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.

I also read that for some reason we’ve been linked with another move for Jay Simpson too??
That’s Webo, Piquionne, Beattie and Simpson we’ve been linked with over the last 24 hours……I’d like us to go in for Matt Derbyshire and Geovanni Dos Santos from Spurs.
I’ve also seen us linked with Scott Loach at Watford and Joe Ledley at Cardiff.
Would a double bid for Chopra and Ledley or Whittingham be out of the question?
Report abuse
Breaking news! Albion are now linked with Franco who was at west ham! get him in !
Report abuse
Looks promising for the reported price, 11 goals in a season at a struggling club isnt too bad. Now lets go and get him and Beattie. I think we need experience in the middle and a left back like Nicky Shorey
Report abuse
No bargain basement signings they said. Biding their time to get quality players in they said. Not going to buy from relegated clubs like them down the road they said.
Report abuse
Why are we going after him ?. I mean look at the clubs after him . Ask yourselves is he going to come to a club who are fighting relagation again or a mid table one ?. I hate to say this but I am worried at the lack of quality/ epirience we are looking at. Get the cheque book out and sign O’Hara and Beattie.
Report abuse
(4)
Don’t get it do you, banter means tease. Do you
realise Albion are not a big four club, we weren’t
bought for ten quid like another club I know. So we can’t afford £10m for a player. What do you want me to say stupid or childish (because I,ll be classed aggressive whichever I say) your post is.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
Report abuse
Cyril (Regis),
We’ve already got one, Jonas Olsson. He dosen’t
mind showing how he feels.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
Report abuse
Can anybody tell me what’s happened to Menseguez,who we had on loan.I would like to see him back at the club.He was quick and skillfull.He looked a very good player,what i saw of him.
Report abuse
Considering previous posts, my comment was fair game ! You managed to get both Stupid and Childish into your post, you big tease you.
Report abuse
Get that Kevin Phillips in, loves the Brom he does.
Report abuse
Get Kevin Donavon back on the wing with Burgess at the back and Naylor between the sticks,that will add a bit of steal to the team.Come on people let’s be realistic,untill we have a new investor this type of conversation will roll on and on.A sugar daddy will be the best sighning for US !!!
Report abuse
4, if i was you id sign Honda n Kowasaki your forwards will need them to get past our defenders aye boing boing
Report abuse
11. Exactly, look at the rubbish we used to pay to watch.
Not quite sure what everyone’s problem is. Yes we will be competing for players with the clubs at the bottom. I don’t think David Villa and Fernando Torres will be interested.
Piquinonne looked good last year in a really poor Portsmouth team.
I would rather see us spend £1 mil on this guy and see what happens rather than spend £5 mil on a guy you have never heard of.
Beattie is over weight and by all accounts can be a bit of a bad egg. Although that said I would probably take the risk.
Report abuse
4 ‘arrow-If your lot want to post here,at least start to get your facts right.He was only on loan at Portsmouth,he’s actually with a top French club.You may have noticed that a string of Premier clubs are after him,RDM was a class international player with an eye for quality,unlike Mad Mick who bids for anyone put up for sale,fit or otherwise.By the way,didn’t Piquionne score more than 6 million dollar man Doyle last season?
Report abuse
What a great signing!!!!! just need to get Mokoenna and Finian. If we could pinch another quality striker that would be great.
Scott Loach is a great back up also Shorey as a left back.
Maybe take a gamble on a Chilean player or two
JB – wasn’t Dorrans a barging signing!!!
Report abuse
4, im not aware lyon where relegated,but i am aware you will be this season aye boing boing
Report abuse
West Ham offered £3m for PICI-Pedia(Nick-name). He scored a Beautiful volley against Liverpool, also scored against Birmingham.
~~~~BOING ~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
Report abuse
piquionne wud be a quality signing but do u honestly think he wud cum 2 us when teams like fulham are after him who are a mid table side not a side looking at relegation, i hear were linked wiv joe ledley, scott loach but spurs offered 2million 4 him in january so think they mite cum back in 4 him, we need 2 spend quite a bit 2 make a fight of it this season come on JP get the cheque book out
Report abuse
Piquionne fits one spec. I would always look for. He scored goals in a poor side. Whether we get him or not is another matter as he may well fancy an easier ride this season at his age. But, if he likes football as opposed to survival via parked buses, we stand a chance. Of course, if some crafty agent tells him Fulham is where all Albion players end up, who knows? But Woy Hodgson may not be there in 3 weeks time.
Report abuse
I forgot to send the latest joke. Here it is:
Fabio Capello has arranged a friendly against Iceland. If we win, he’s going to arrange another against Sainsburys.
Report abuse
Bully-Fan,
Agree with goal-line technology, ALBION had two sure-fire goals disallowed when we were in the Premiership and Gary Megson called for it then. I
know Gary has a big mouth but it wasn’t big enough on that occasion. Should also be used for off-side calls as even with a forth official the
human arrangement is not good enough.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
Report abuse
Looks lile he is going to West Ham folks
Report abuse
21 JtH.
Yes I agree, I think technology could be used for off-side calls.
Cricket and Tennis I think has the hawkeye system which is very accurate. So maybe they could use something similar I would have thought, obviously it would have to be moving along the lines so maybe on a rail system like in greyhound racing for the hare? Actually isn’t there some type of moving rail camera in Athletics? (not sure but I think there is) it’s just a thought.
I’m sure the boffins could create something adequate enough anyway, that’s if they did decide to do such a thing? However I don’t know about you JtH but I won’t be holding my breath for it to happen anytime too soon!
Just in case anyone else has read your post (21) and thought WTF? A brief explanation for them may be required, so here it is.
This is from a previous debate concerning England that me, JtH and Cyril Randle were having but using the Dorrans story for posting. JtH replied on here as the Dorrans story is now closed.
I hope that has enlightened anyone who wanted to know.
P.S. In keeping with the original story here, to add my two penneth if I may. Piquionne DOES know how to score in this league so definitely one to consider if you want my opinion.
Report abuse
Cyril Randle.
I almost forgot, apologies for that.
I agree with your comments on the “tired players”. I think we would be tired at work if we spent every opportunity on the lash in nightclubs till all hours.
I loved your anology at the end…”a house full of frisky kittens”
Nice one!
Report abuse
24 Hmmm that should have been “analogy”.
Long hot day at work!
Report abuse