WEST BROM have confirmed the signing of former Sunderland star Yann M’Vila.
The Frenchman, 33, has penned a short-term deal with the Baggies until the end of the season.
M’Vila last played in England during the 2015-16 season with the Black Cats.
The midfielder spent a year on loan at the Stadium of Light from Rubin Kazan, and later admitted to being “heartbroken” when the move wasn’t made permanent.
He subsequently spent two more years at Rubin Kazan before joining Saint-Etienne in 2018.
Following a pair of seasons with the French club he signed for Olympiacos, where he played under current West Brom boss Carlos Corberan.
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“It was a pleasure to work with him and I’m really pleased to be back with him again now,” M’Vila told West Brom’s media team upon signing.
“He contacted me and asked me to come here and straight away, I said yes.”
M’Vila has earned 22 caps for his country and even featured for Les Bleus at Euro 2012.
He has been without a club since leaving Olympiacos last summer, however, and will take time to bed into Corberan’s team at the Hawthorns.
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Upon getting his man, the Baggies boss, 40, said: “We’ve picked up an injury to Jayson Molumby and that left us without as many options as we would like in the middle.
“Yann is a really positive option to have. He arrives with plenty of experience and with plenty of desire and motivation to help us.
“We will need to be patient with him from a fitness point of view as he has been a free agent since the summer, but we know he has the determination to be ready for what will be an important few months.”
On his decision to return to English football, M’Vila added: “I had one year playing in England before at Sunderland and I really enjoyed it.
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Yann M’Vila
“I had calls from clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, but I wanted to play one more time in England.
“Carlos is a very good coach. For me, he is so, so smart when it comes to the tactical and technical side of the game.
“For me, he will be one of the best coaches in the world in the next few years because he is so detailed in everything he does.”
West Brom sit fifth in the Championship table despite losing 2-0 to Southampton on Friday night.
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The Baggies are due to face M’Vila’s former side at the Hawthorns on April 13.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
