Rangers steal Bougherra from Baggies
Albion are reeling from another transfer blow after Rangers stepped in to steal Madjid Bougherra from under their noses.
Albion are reeling from another transfer blow after Rangers stepped in to steal Madjid Bougherra from under their noses.
The Algerian stunned the Baggies by signing for the Gers on a four-year contract last night, after apparently being on the brink of moving to The Hawthorns.
The Old Firm giants stepped in at the 11th-hour yesterday to agree a £2.5m fee with Charlton for the 25-year-old, before thrashing out personal terms with the player.
It is the second time this summer that Albion have missed out to an Old Firm side this summer, after Ulsterman Paddy McCourt turned them down in favour of a move to Celtic.
Baggies officials were confident of landing Bougherra, after the 6ft 3in tall centre back spent most of Wednesday locked in talks at the club's training ground.
He reportedly even agreed the details of a contract, before leaving to make a final decision on his future.
Rangers boss Walter Smith then swooped to match Albion's bid for the player and trigger a last-minute battle for his services.
Bougherra flew to Glasgow to discuss a contract with last season's SPL runners-up. He wasted little time in putting pen to paper on a move from The Valley to Ibrox.
His decision leaves Baggies manager Tony Mowbray still looking for his first new central defensive recruit of the season.
It follows Celtic's successful late move to sign McCourt after the former Derry City winger had looked poised to join the Baggies.
While the loss of McCourt caused little more than surprise at the Hawthorns, Bougherra's move north of the border represents a serious blow to Mowbray.
The Baggies boss is a long-time admirer of the French-born Algerian and made him one of the summer's prime transfer targets.