Express & Star

West Brom won't sell Peter Odemwingie on the cheap, says boss

Steve Clarke today insisted West Bromwich Albion will not sell Peter Odemwingie on the cheap and warned potential summer transfer vultures "we are not a charity".

Published

The Baggies boss claimed Albion will demand "market value" for the 31-year-old despite the striker's fall-out with the club leaving his position looking untenable.

QPR offered more than £4m for the want-away Nigeria international in January with the deal eventually collapsing on deadline day.

And Clarke said today: "He has signed a contract. I think his goal record for West Brom is something like one in three. Whoever wants him has to pay the market value."

Asked whether the asking price would be similar to January, Clarke said: "Yes. We are not a charity."

Albion will seek to offload Odemwingie this summer but the Baggies boss reckons he will be able to keep his other top stars and does not believe he will need to sell to fund new signings.

"By and large the players we have here are happy with the way the club is trying to improve year on year," said Clarke.

"It's a good place to be and I like to think they enjoy working with me.

"If someone from the top echelons of the league comes searching for your players it can be more difficult but until that day happens it is speculation.

"The club is in good financial health so I don't think we would have to sell to buy."

And Clarke backed the Baggies' careful transfer policy, despite admitting "frustrations" with the gradual progress.

"There are frustrations to me because I want to spend £100m and go and get this player and that player," said Clarke.

"So when I go home at night I will have that frustration and I have to calm myself down and say 'You know what you came into, do the job you were brought here to do'.

"I realise what the plan is here at Albion, that's why I came and I'm not trying to change that."

"All I'm saying is that it's normal for me to have some frustrations.

"Frustrations can always get on top of you but I'm quite good at shrugging them off and realising what the plan of the club is."

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.