West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion announced the signing of Kieran Gibbs from Arsenal on Wednesday. 

The deal was confirmed by the West Midlands club on their Twitter account:

📷 Here you go...

Welcome to the Baggies, @KieranGibbs!#WBA pic.twitter.com/NOSXkJHVfp

— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) August 30, 2017

In a bulletin on their website, the Baggies revealed Gibbs has agreed a four-year deal at the Hawthorns and will wear the No. 3 shirt.

Gibbs posted the following message on his own account:

Delighted to have signed for @WBA 🙌🏽 ⚽️ #WBA pic.twitter.com/LngeupoR5K

— Kieran Gibbs (@KieranGibbs) August 30, 2017

The 27-year-old leaves Arsenal having spent 13 years at the club. Gibbs joined the Gunners youth setup in 2004, before going on to battle for the left-back slot in the senior side.

"I watched the boys in the first few games of the season and they've got a lot of energy," Gibbs said, per the West Brom website. "They've made some good signings and I feel this is a good move for me."

The England international had fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium, with Nacho Monreal taking over at left-back on a regular basis. The arrival of Sead Kolasinac in June meant minutes were even less likely to be on the cards for Gibbs this season.

West Brom will give the defender a chance to relaunch his career, and the Daily Mirror's John Cross believes Baggies boss Tony Pulis will be an ideal mentor for the ex-Arsenal man:

Kieran Gibbs has completed £7m move to West Brom. Very good signing IMO. Pulis can get him back in England set up. Great servant for Arsenal

— John Cross (@johncrossmirror) August 29, 2017

Gibbs will give West Brom something different, too. For long spells last term, the Baggies called upon makeshift options in the left-back position, with the likes of Jonny Evans and Chris Brunt deployed in that berth.

While Pulis sets his sides up to be defensively compact and a threat from set pieces, having a natural left-back in the squad will be a big boost to his side.

Gibbs may not be as combative as the players who have filled the position lately. What he will offer, though, is energy, tenacity and an appetite to get forward.

While it's a move that's unlikely to turn West Brom into a free-flowing attacking outfit, it's another savvy edition in a summer of real progress for Pulis' side.

West Bromwich Albion winger James McClean organised an impromptu football match against the Oxford Bulls of Derry, Northern Ireland.

In the video above, we look at the story and show you the video from the match (h/t Kevin Morrison).

Saido Berahino reportedly served a suspension during his time at West Bromwich Albion, having tested positive for a recreational drug in September. 

According to Matt Lawton and Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail, the forward, who signed for Stoke City from the Baggies in January, had a three-month gap between appearances for West Brom's under-23 side. The report stated:

"He played a game against Stoke's under-23s on September 20 and did not represent West Brom's junior side again until December 12. Sportsmail believes Berahino claimed there were extenuating circumstances around the positive test, and Stoke were made aware of the situation prior to the 23-year-old completing his move to Stoke."

The Mail's report added that testing positive for recreational substances is "not regarded as a breach of the World Anti-Doping Agency code."

The Football Association, however, does suspend players for such offences, although English football's governing body grants those involved anonymity to assist with any rehabilitation efforts.

Per Lawton and Mokbel, Berahino's former manager at the Hawthorns, Tony Pulis, had previously made reference to the 23-year-old being overweight and also called on the England youth international to "get his act together" following his move to the Potters.

In a statement on West Brom's website after his transfer, Berahino referenced what had been a tough time for him: "I want to thank the club for its support throughout what has been a period of turmoil for me. It may not have always seemed as if I have appreciated the efforts of everyone here to help me, but believe me I do."

Stoke boss Mark Hughes suggested he was aware of Berahino's suspension:

https://twitter.com/juliette_grace/status/827442231502106624

Sports commentator John Bradley believes the move to the Bet365 Stadium could be the key to the player getting his career on track:

I think it would be fair to say The last couple of years haven't gone as Saido Berahino expected. Rebuild promising career time at Stoke

— John Bradley (@jbradleymedia) January 20, 2017

When asked about Berahino, Pulis didn't pull any punches in his assessment of his ex-player.

"Personally, I don't give a damn now," he said, per BBC Sport. "I've spent two-and-a-half years at this club, and he's not my problem anymore. I wish him all the best."

Talent is undoubtedly there to harness. Berahino is a fine technician, possessing great versatility and an impressive strike. However, those attributes have not been seen frequently enough in recent seasons; he's made just 20 Premier League starts since the beginning of 2015-16, scoring a meagre four goals.

Berahino made his Stoke debut against Everton on Wednesday evening and had an effort cleared off the line with the score tied at 1-1. Next up for the Potters and their new No. 9 is a trip to the Hawthorns to play West Brom on Saturday.

On a mild day in September 2000, West Bromwich Albion welcomed Crystal Palace to the West Midlands in the old Football League Division One.

It was, nominally, a day of celebration. But sitting in the thinly populated Birmingham Road End, watching the shallow breeze tickle the corner flags before kick-off as a man in a giant throstle costume kicked balls into an empty goal, there was little to mark the occasion out as anything other than another inconsequential game at the bottom end of England's second tier between two sides whose ambition had seemingly dried up.

The afternoon marked 100 years since West Brom moved to the Hawthorns from their former home at Stoney Lane, but in spite of the club's best efforts, it was difficult for anybody inside the ground to summon much of a mood of celebration.

There was a low-key ceremony on the pitch before the game, and the match-day programme made allusions here and there to the previous century of ups and downs, but through the muted pageantry, a heavy sense of inertia penetrated, comfortingly familiar to those of us on the terraces that day.

It isn't easy now, from the relatively lofty position of mid-table in the Premier League, to muster much of a sense of what it was like to follow the Albion back in the first year of the new millennium. There hadn't been top-flight football at the Hawthorns since 1984; a barren spell by the standards of one of the Football League's founding members, one that had brought with it the indignity of a spell in the third tier.

There was the fear that comes when any formerly great club finds itself excluded for long enough from the elite, that what started out as a temporary blip in fortunes might, in fact, be turning into the new norm.

The new Premier League had been formed, and its clubs were dividing up the new TV riches of top-level football among themselves, winning new global audiences to go with their increased exposure. Aston Villa had come within a few points of winning the inaugural Premier League title. Even Birmingham City had tasted victory at Wembley in the Auto Windscreens Shield final, and nobody on this side of the city centre had been excited about football for decades.

All of this contributes to a strange collective uncertainty around West Brom as 2017 prepares to break. This is a place with a complex and idiosyncratic past where identity has been more fluid than for almost any other club; first they were big, then they were nowhere, and now nobody seems able to say quite where they are, least of all those on the inside.

Results since November's 2-1 win away at champions Leicester have reminded Albion fans what it feels like to be upwardly mobile, and this has ignited a paradox. Suddenly the cosy familiarity of the lower third of the table feels too limiting and snug for a club that in the 1970s were perennial European challengers, and the long-dormant temptation to agitate for standards to be raised is stirring.

The problem at the Hawthorns, certainly in the Premier League era, is that the club has never really been sure what to expect of itself. In this age of ultra-competitiveness, one where all but a ring-fenced handful of super clubs know they are one bad season away from losing their place in the top flight followed by a potentially hellish crusade to win it back, remaining in the division for what is now a seventh season is an achievement that counts.

At a time when the other bastions of West Midlands football are floundering to a lesser or greater extent, this achievement comes gilded with a coating of real pride, even if no-one in the region is deriving any pleasure from watching the sad dismantling of Coventry City.

In the middle of which, the arch-pragmatist Tony Pulis stands, arms folded, on the touchline, peering out from beneath the brim of his baseball cap into some undetermined future.

Pulis is a man who cannot win. Many at the Hawthorns would have it be known that the recent upturn in results has come in spite of the manager's methods rather than because of them, with the team buoyed by circumstances largely out of his control but for which he has taken credit.

In truth, there has been some serendipity about a run of form that saw the team climb from 17th to sixth on the back of four wins from six games.

Matt Phillips has, after a quiet start, reminded fans of why he was once considered one of the Premier League's great young promises during the season Blackpool spent in the top flight, whilst the return of Chris Brunt and James Morrison after lengthy injuries and the form of a player, in Salomon Rondon, who is looking more and more like a centre-forward playing beneath his natural level in the West Midlands have given West Brom genuine purpose in attack.

Defenders of the manager—and he does have a following who are prepared to stick up for him—will point to the role that he has played in coaxing the best from Phillips, a player whose confidence is notoriously fragile.

Pulis has done some of his best man-management work on the man he signed from Queens Park Rangers in the summer, and the results have been evident from the moment he raced away from Wes Morgan to score the winning goal at Leicester.

Brunt and Morrison have long been the linchpins around whom the team's best work is done, and Pulis was operating with one arm behind his back in their absence, whilst Rondon is little more than the striker every team in the Premier League needs in order to be successful.

Things have worked out recently, but as recently as the second week of November, West Brom were 17th in the table. There is nothing that could be called outright discontent for the manager coming out of the stands, but most recognise this run of form for what it is, a decent set of results against sides currently placed in the bottom half.

During that spell, Albion have also lost to Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United without making an impression on any of those three games. In losing 2-0 at home to United, there was a heavy sense of inevitability that settled around the ground from the moment Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed the visitors into a fifth-minute lead, one that didn't lift until the last of a disappointed 26,000 crowd had trudged off into the night.

That there was palpable disappointment at a weak performance was a mark of how expectations had been lifted just a little in recent weeks, but the total lack of ownership over what had been felt to have been a winnable home fixture was perhaps the more telling sign that there hasn't been any lasting change here for the fans to invest in.

For the new owner Guochuan Lai, it is stick or twist. For every Leicester and Stoke City who have made changes that have brought revolutions in style and results, there is a Blackburn Rovers or a Bolton Wanderers, pushed to the peripheries by gambles that didn't pay off, not knowing now whether they'll tumble over the edge.

He may feel, like many at the Hawthorns, that Pulis is a man who, for all his pleasant likeability, cannot win.

Unfortunately for the manager, they have developed the taste for winning again here.

West Bromwich Albion have completed the signature of Tottenham Hotspur winger Nacer Chadli, who moves to the Hawthorns for an undisclosed fee.

The Baggies announced the signing via their official website on Monday, confirming the Belgium international had penned a four-year contract with manager Tony Pulis' side.

Chadli moved to White Hart Lane from FC Twente in 2013 and scored 25 goals in 119 appearances for Tottenham, per Transfermarkt.

West Brom also provided quotes from their latest signing, who spoke of the move and the opportunities he's likely to get with the west Midlands outfit.

Chadli, 27, said: "I feel very good to be here. It came very quickly, but I spoke to the club, and they have a good team, a good manager and I am very pleased to be here. My ambitions? I just want to help the team win as many games as possible."

Pulis was happy to have the Belgian on board and added: "He’s a top, top player, and I’m delighted we’ve got him. I said last week that these signings all had to be about players who would improve our squad—and Nacer does precisely that."

Sky Sports reported on Monday that the deal had cost West Brom a club-record sum of £13 million, just edging the £12 million that was forked out for the signature of Salomon Rondon last summer.

ESPN FC writer and Spurs supporter Michael Caley suggested the Baggies are getting their hands on an entertaining asset, albeit one who's perhaps lacking in consistency:

Nacer Chadli was a fun player to root for. I'll miss him.

But rarely has a hot finishing streak more obviously made a man's career.

— Michael Caley (@MC_of_A) August 29, 2016

Chadli has made a total of 88 appearances in the Premier League to date—an average of almost 30 per season since arriving in England—although just 53 of those were as part of Tottenham's starting XI.

Kristof Terreur of Het Laatste Nieuws recently outlined the Premier League's ongoing interest in Belgian players and the upturn in prices being paid for stars originating from the nation:

English clubs like to pay record sums for 🇧🇪:
✅ De Bruyne #mcfc
✅ Benteke #cpfc
✅ Lukaku #efc
✅ Chadli #wbafc
✅ Defour #twitterclarets

— Kristof Terreur (@kristofterreur) August 29, 2016

After showing glimpses of brilliance during his three-year stay in north London, Chadli will now hope to capitalise and offer Pulis the best of his playing ability.

West Brom have won one game, lost one and drawn one in their first three games of the 2016-17 Premier League campaign, but they'll hope the addition of wide talent Chadli will improve their prospects.

Warning: Video contains profanity.

Things turned ugly at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday following Reading's 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion.

https://twitter.com/LewisRoss_4/status/701087987833118720

Baggies midfielder Chris Brunt was hit in the face by a coin, which appears to have been thrown by one of his own supporters in the away section as he went towards them to offer his shirt.

Understandably unhappy, Brunt headed towards the stands immediately, with one fan capturing it on his phone.

"If people come to football matches and think it is acceptable to throw coins at footballers or anyone else, it is disgusting," he said post-match, per BBC Sport.

And, the FA have subsequently confirmed they will investigate the incident.

1/3 The @FA is investigating the incident in which an object was thrown at Chris Brunt at the end of the Reading v West Brom game...

— England Football (@EnglandFootball) February 20, 2016

2/3 ...as well as the crowd disturbances in the away section of the stadium.

— England Football (@EnglandFootball) February 20, 2016

[Twitter: @LewisRoss_4]

Longtime West Bromwich Albion, Arsenal and England right-back Don Howe has died at the age of 80.

The news was confirmed by a statement on the Gunners' official website.

In his playing career, Howe was best known for his time with the Baggies. He made 379 appearances for Albion, according to the club's official site.

Per the FA, England manager Roy Hodgson paid a lengthy and touching tribute to Howe, describing him as a "friend, coach and mentor." He said:

"Today I lost a person who was all of those things to me and friends of my generation. I found myself privileged to say he befriended me and I think it is a great loss and I am very sad. I can only pass on my deepest condolences to his family."

He added:

He was absolutely one of the very best coaches I have ever come across in my life and, certainly in my opinion, one of the very best coaches England ever had. 

...

I shall miss him and he will always be remembered by people within the game as one of the true greats, one of the true legendary coaches. He was ahead of his time.

He wasn’t just a great coach, he was a great human being.

Howe's affiliation with Arsenal was marked more by his excellent contributions at the coaching level. In particular, his place alongside manager Bertie Mee brought the Gunners tremendous success. The highlight was undoubtedly the league and cup double to culminate the 1970/71 season.

Arsenal captured the First Division championship at the home of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, courtesy of a Ray Kennedy goal. Then Howe and Mee saw their team outlast Liverpool at Wembley with Charlie George's famous strike sealing the double.

After a brief foray into senior management with old club West Brom, Howe came back to Arsenal. The club's official site detailed how he worked alongside Terry Neill at the helm of a staff that helped guide the Gunners to a trio of FA Cup finals in the late '70s.

The same report also showed how Howe's legacy at Arsenal went beyond trophies and final appearances. He had a lasting impact on the future of the club, thanks to his work developing young players:

Appointed permanent Arsenal manager in April 1984, he spent two years at the helm and was instrumental in the development of numerous stars of the future, giving David Rocastle, Martin Keown, Michael Thomas, Niall Quinn and Martin Hayes their debuts - among many others.

...

Don then enjoyed a very successful six seasons developing the talents of Arsenal’s young players, leading the team to FA Youth Cup wins in 2000 and 2001, before retiring at the end of the 2002/03 season.

Howe was also in the dugout for another Wembley final, when Wimbledon won the FA Cup in 1988, again stunning Liverpool. His coaching work even included stints with the England national team, where he worked alongside Bobby Robson and Terry Venables.

BBC Sport's Phil McNulty is among those who have expressed sadness:

Sad news. One of the great coaches of his generation https://t.co/mrcRc2efvl

— Phil McNulty (@philmcnulty) December 23, 2015

Amy Lawrence of the Guardian did the same:

Farewell to Don Howe. A superb coach, and a super person.

— Amy Lawrence (@amylawrence71) December 23, 2015

Meanwhile, West Brom's official Twitter feed confirmed the club will pay its own tribute before each of their upcoming Premier League clashes against Swansea City and Newcastle United, respectively:

Our players will wear black armbands vs @SwansOfficial (Boxing Day) and @NUFC (Dec 28) following Don Howe's sad death.

— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) December 23, 2015

Albion also confirmed they will dedicate a section of their pre-match programme to a retrospective of Howe's career, ahead of the January 2 clash with Stoke City:

We will pay tribute to Don Howe before our home vs @NUFC - with a full look back at his career in @WBAFCProgramme for the @stokecity game

— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) December 23, 2015

In their statement, Arsenal Football Club sent their thoughts to Howe's family.

West Bromwich Albion striker Victor Anichebe was left disappointed after being snubbed by Game of Thrones stars Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie on Wednesday.

1/3 Bumped into Kit Harrington & Rose Leslie at my hotel and being a big #GOT fan asked nicely for a pic...

— Victor Anichebe (@VictorAnichebe) September 30, 2015

2/3 Shame that they refused & felt to act the way they did, I would never decline someone a picture as without fans we're nothing...

— Victor Anichebe (@VictorAnichebe) September 30, 2015

3/3 I hope Jon Snow really is dead now in @GameOfThrones..... 😂😂😂

— Victor Anichebe (@VictorAnichebe) September 30, 2015

A big fan of the hit show, Anichebe clearly wasn't impressed by Harrington, who plays Jon Snow, and Leslie, who plays Ygritte, after their meeting at a hotel.

In their defence, the actors probably had somewhere important to be. After all, winter is coming...

[h/t whoateallthepies.tv, Twitter: @VictorAnichebe]

Saido Berahino has been included in West Bromwich Albion's final 25-man squad for the new Premier League season, despite vowing never to play for the club again.  

Sky Sports News HQ confirmed the news on Thursday via their official Twitter feed.

The youngster was prevented from joining Tottenham Hotspur before the transfer deadline on Tuesday, and he subsequently announced he was going on strike:

Sad how i cant say exactly how the club has treated me but i can officially say i will never play Jeremy Peace.

— Saido Berahino (@SBerahino) September 1, 2015

The striker will now stay at the Hawthorns until at least January, and football writer Henry Winter believes the 22-year-old will need to make amends following the rash statement:

Berahino has to start building bridges with Pulis & #wba fans, 1st by deleting that tweet. Otherwise he risks 'Lord HawHawthorns' headlines

— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) September 2, 2015

Berahino determined to get to Euro 2016. He won't get there sulking in the reserves. Has to knuckle down/show everyone his class as a player

— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) September 2, 2015

According to the Daily Telegraph's Matt Law, the forward "is unlikely to follow through on his threat" as his tweet "has been interpreted as a heat of the moment act of frustration, rather than a firm statement that he will refuse to train or play for the club."

Further, the Professional Footballers' Association have contacted both the player and the club and "expect the situation to be resolved," though it is believed Berahino will not be making a personal apology to chairman Jeremy Peace.

Berahino's inclusion would support the PFA's view, as it would be a waste of space in the squad if West Brom weren't confident of fielding their star forward.

If the youngster hopes to earn a move to Spurs or elsewhere in the future and feature for England at the European Championships in 2016, he will need to put his frustrations behind him and show the Baggies he is committed to firing them up the league.

Whether the West Brom fans welcome him back with open arms, however, remains to be seen.

Liverpool reached an agreement with West Bromwich Albion for the transfer of striker Rickie Lambert on Friday. It's a nice value addition for Albion as the Reds continue to remold their attacking group ahead of the new campaign.

The club announced the deal with a quote from manager Tony Pulis:

"Rickie is a good, strong, solid player who is a great character, good in the dressing room and good on the pitch.

"We are very pleased to have him on board.

"He's a player of great pedigree and we look forward to integrating him into our squad."

Lambert arrived at Anfield last summer to provide Liverpool with some reliable veteran depth. He seemed like an ideal acquisition after scoring at least 14 goals across all competitions in seven straight seasons, including the previous two with Premier League side Southampton.

Instead, he struggled mightily to find good form. Reds manager Brendan Rodgers tried various different lineup combinations throughout the campaign in an attempt to jump-start Lambert, Mario Balotelli or Daniel Sturridge, but nothing quite clicked.

The lack of consistent playing time probably contributed to the 33-year-old England international's woes. He solidified himself as the top striker during his time with the Saints, leading to a regular spot as a starter. He couldn't find the same rhythm in a more varied role.

As a result, he nearly left the club in January. Aston Villa made a serious approach on deadline day, but he told James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo that the timing just wasn't right.

"The deal was agreed, but in the end, there just wasn't enough time to say 'yes'—to make a decision in the space of four or five hours for the next two-and-a-half-years. Not just for me, but for my family as well," Lambert said. "It was something I just couldn't do. It was too short notice. It was too big of a decision to make in the short amount of time I had."

The summer window gave him a better opportunity to consider his options and make an informed decision for himself and his family. It also became clear his path to playing time would be even more crowded at Anfield, which was likely a factor, as well.

Between the arrivals of Christian Benteke and Danny Ings, along with Divock Origi returning from loan, the situation didn't lend itself to a veteran forward coming off a down year.

The move should allow Lambert to take on a more prominent role. At 33, there's always a concern that all the miles are starting to take a physical toll. But he's long showcased a knack for putting himself in the right positions and delivering a strong final touch.

West Brom could certainly use Lambert's goal-scoring prowess; outside of young striker Saido Berahino, the team lacked punch at the front; they scored a total of 38 goals in league play, and Berahino accounted for 14 of those. While Lambert struggled last season, the more direct style Tony Pulis' Baggies play should suit his aerial game well. 

It's a good signing from a value perspective. If he returns to his previous levels of production, he'll be a bargain. And if things don't work out, they didn't sink a large investment into him. So it's a deal that makes sense from all angles.

Now it's up to Lambert to show last season's lackluster scoring output wasn't a sign of things to come.