Nicolas Anelka linked with Premier League return, but will he fit into potential side?

It was reported today in the daily mail that veteran French striker Nicolas Anelka could be making a return to the Premiership with West Brom. If this is a move that does come to fruition The Baggies would be Anelka’s sixth different Premier League club. At the age of 34 he may have lost a yard or two of pace but his technical ability would surely allow him to contribute to any team in the Premier League.

In his prime Anelka was a pacy forward with some tricks and skill with a good eye for goal, scoring 123 goals in 352 Premier league clubs for five different sides Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Bolton and most recently Chelsea. He also has 69 caps for the France national team which is all more valuable experience that he could potentially bring to West Brom.

He is currently a free agent after a brief spell at Italian champions Juventus on loan from Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua. It’s fair to say that Anelka is a player that has been around the block a few times and played against some top defences, although his career may be winding down now I definitely feel that he could be a bargain for West Brom on a free transfer.

With the Midlands club losing loan striker Romelu Lukaku back to Chelsea they need to reinforce their attacking options and Anelka could be the more experienced impact sub option. He would be very useful in tight games when they may be struggling to unlock the backline of the opposition, he could come on and provide a bit of magic to turn the game in West Brom’s favour.

One stumbling block for this move though could be his wage demands but West Brom will be hopeful of pulling out this transfer and if they can sign Anelka it could prove to be some very shrewd business by Steve Clarke.