New Albion hero Peter Odemwingie today insisted he never doubted his decision to join the Baggies – even after watching their 6-0 defeat at Chelsea.

The Nigeria international was in London awaiting his medical as his new club were thrashed by the Premier League champions on their return to the top flight.

But the 29-year-old insisted he did not think twice about moving to the Hawthorns, even in the wake of their heavy defeat at Stamford Bridge.

He said: “I was in London but I didn’t go to the stadium, I watched the game in the hotel.

“I saw quality in the team and playing against Chelsea they weren’t panicking and just trying to kick the ball away.

“They played better sometimes in that game than we did on Saturday in possession.

“On Saturday we were a little bit nervous in our first home game after losing but I saw quality in the Chelsea game and said that maybe I can add some quality up front and we can have more options offensively. I think we can do something good.

“I know people asked questions about whether it was the right move for me, but they played against Chelsea in the first game and most of the goals were from set-pieces so I had to take that into account.

“I knew that with more concentration we would be okay, because there were too many mistakes in that game.

“Six was too many goals, but I saw some quality and I knew it was the right move.

“The people who didn’t want me to leave Lokomotiv Moscow asked if I was sure about leaving, and there were little jokes, but I believed it would be okay.”

Odemwingie fulfilled a long-held ambition to play in the Premier League when he sealed his £2m move from Lokomotiv last week.

And he revealed how memories of Nigerian compatriot Kanu in Baggies colours and a chat with former Hawthorns loanee Sam Sodje helped make up his mind to sign.

He said: “I have been looking forward to playing here for a few years now.

“I have been coming here to watch some of my friends for a few years and it is an atmosphere where a player will push himself to the maximum.

“A player will give his best and bring out something that he didn’t know he had. Having this atmosphere in every game is an incentive to do your best.

“The game is a bit faster here. In Russia they play a lot of technical football. Here they play it forward quicker, which suits me.

“I call for the ball and they play it straight away. I think as a striker you feel that you have to be alert every moment to wait for the chances.

“The first thing that came to my mind was that one of our biggest players, Kanu, came here and I wouldn’t have come here if it wasn’t a good team.

“Then one of our players who played here, Sam Sodje, told me a lot of positive things.

“He told me it was a nice, close stadium with a good atmosphere.

“Most people think it is a small club but from what I have seen it is a massive club.

“I didn’t speak with Kanu because I was in South Korea when it was finally agreed.

“But I spoke with Sodje, who played here, and he and Dickson Etuhu from Fulham told me good things about the club and when I came here I was relaxed that nobody said negative things.

“Everybody wanted me to go a team that suited my style of football and nobody said anything against me coming here and now I see why.”