Tony Pulis hails Jay Rodriguez's versatility and eye for goal
Tony Pulis chased Jay Rodriguez for three transfer windows because of his eye for a goal and his ability to play three positions.
The Baggies boss, who was speaking on his return to pre-season today, was delighted to finally land the 27-year-old from Southampton.
Rodriguez, who has one England cap to his name, cost £12million up front in a deal rising to a potential club-record £15m.
He became Albion’s first signing of the summer on Sunday, and is now due to travel out to Austria on Tuesday with Pulis and the rest of the squad for their annual fitness camp in the Alps.
"We've chased him for a long time and I'm really pleased we have got him in,” said Pulis. “He's got a good goal-scoring record and we've been a little bit short in that position and hopefully this will give us a little bit more in those areas.
"He gives us different options and that's important for a club such as ours – Jay can play in three different positions across the front and that's good for us.
"He was exceptional for Southampton out wide and coming in off the line.
“He also plays as a striker – he's got these different qualities to play anywhere along the front line."
The Baggies signed another striker today from Vitesse Arnhem, but Yuning Zhang has been loaned straight back out to Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga for two years.
His signing did not come out of Tony Pulis’s budget for the summer and was a business acquisition as much as a football one.
The Baggies are interested in former Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber, who has left the German champions after 15 years at the club.
However, other centre-back targets will be pursued before the 28-year-old.
Meanwhile, reports the Baggies have made a £12m bid for Sevilla midfielder Vicente Iborra are wide of the mark.
He is known to the club’s scouting department but low down the list of wanted targets.
