A sign (ing) ! A sign (ing) !

22 December 2004

As the time of good will approaches, some positive news for a change. According to reports this morning, Albion have signed Argentinian midfielder Matias Almeyda from Italian club Brescia on a free transfer following "an ill-fated spell" which has seen him fall out with them and have his contract cancelled by mutual consent. Almeyda started his career at the Argentinian championship-winning River Plate before moving to Lazio, for whom he played about half the games in their championship-winning season. He later joined Parma in 2000 in a ?14.6 million deal and then moved to Inter Milan two years later as part of a swap deal. Almeyda has also won International honours with his country, making 34 appearances and featuring in their 2002 World Cup squad.

A more details profile of Almeyda can be found at Yahoo Sports and some pictures of him can be found in the galleries at Sexy Footballers along with a collection of bizarre facts, such as him being nicknamed "el Pelado" (the bald) and having a tattoo of Jesus on one arm. Looks like there could be a struggle with Greening for the hair gel...

As yet, there is no official confirmation of the signing so treat the reports with a small pinch of salt. There is also some debate as to how soon he will be able to play for us, as he was under contract with Brescia at the start of the season and hence might not be eligible for registration with Albion until the start of the overseas transfer window on January 8th. In any case, having not seen first team action for a while, he would need a little but of time to adjust before being thrown in at the deep end. And we wish him well, as yesterday (Tuesday) was his 31st birthday!

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  10 December 2004:  Football Aid - The ultimate Xmas Gift?

  01 December 2004:  Big Ron at Kiddy SC

  09 November 2004:  Captain Marvel is back !

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