MEL CHASING RIERA

The manager of West Bromwich Albion, Pepe Mel, has been reported to have Albert Riera on his radar.

Riera who has the experience of playing for a couple of top English clubs in the past is currently featuring in Turkish top flight for Galatasaray SK. His performance there hasn’t been that well of late and that’s why, the club is looking to offload him.

As far as Mel is concerned, he has recently taken charge at West Brom. The match against Everton FC the other day was his debut match as Baggies’ boss and he didn’t have a bad start at all. Yes, he would certainly have preferred a win and 3 points, but, to start with a draw was alright too.

Mel is believed to be unsatisfied with the attacking options that West Bromwich Albion has got at the moment. He wants players who can play solidly in the midfield and he reckons that Riera is one such kind of player. The Spanish international can be used both in attacking as well as in defensive roles in the midfield and that’s certainly a quality which most of the players don’t have.

The two English clubs for whom Riera has featured so far are Manchester City and Liverpool. He had played for City on loan, while, for Liverpool, he had signed on a permanent basis. He didn’t have a great time at either of those two clubs though, so, he would be under a bit of pressure if he comes at The Hawthorns.

Mel didn’t give any hints regarding the signing of Riera while speaking in the press conference after the game against Everton. The 50 years old Spaniard just made statements about his team’s performance. He said, “It was nice to see the boys hungry for success.”