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McAuley Move Confirmed Monday, 23rd May 2011 13:04
Departing defender Gareth McAuley’s free Bosman move to West Brom has been confirmed. The Northern Irishman has signed a three-year-deal with the Baggies which starts on July 1st.
The 31-year-old, whose Town terms are up this summer, has passed a medical having been at the Hawthorns to sign his deal at the end of last week.
Baggies boss Roy Hodgson said he was delighted to add the former Lincoln and Leicester man to his squad: "I would like to welcome Gareth to the club and I am very pleased we have added a player of his quality and experience to our team.
"We believe it is the right moment for Gareth to embark on a Barclays Premier League career after doing so well for so long in the Championship and for his national team.
"We are also very happy that amid lots of competition for his services, we have managed to persuade him to join us."
McAuley, who is currently away on international duty with Northern Ireland, added: “I’m delighted to get it sorted out. It’s been going on for a couple of weeks and that’s it done. It’s another step up, another progression in the journey of my career. It’s a challenge to get into the team first and foremost.
“They have good players there but I back myself all the way as I always have done. I’ve worked hard and sometimes you get the rewards. I’ve now got to get into the team and prove I can play there.”
McAuley cost the Blues £1.1 million when he joined from Leicester in the summer of 2008.
Photo: Action Images
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Good luck to him, Can you blame someone for wanting Premierleague football? Gareth will need to step up a gear or two as I can see a few quality strikers there tearing him to bits. But all the best! Him and Olsson should make a good partnership.
Disagree kerryblue - big loss as we don't have anyone to step into that gap, and when we sign someone it will cost us. He is increasingly slow though and will be shown up in the Premiership.
Whatever we all might think he's gone ... Let's move on folks ..... I'm sure pj has rePlacement in mind... Macaulay was hardly the greatest athlete I've ever seen at pr.. But purely the best of a bad bunch in all honesty
well done Gareth, and thanks for some great service. I do however think you have done really well to bag such a deal! Three years when at 31 your not quite as fast as you were..... in the prem too... dont blame you for taking this opportuntiy but do think that the deal is really a very lucky one indeed.
OH i got all exited then and thought we`ve signed someone,But no its telling us W.B.A have signed someone !! Don`t give a sh!t he`s the one that turned down a contract ipswich never said he could leave !!!
Far too slow for the prem and good positional sense only counts for so much - he struggled against virtually all the pacy sides/strikers in the championship; Watford, Reading, Norwich ..... and now he'll be up against that every week (if selected). A very solid championship level player but if - as is possible - it wasn't such a f@ck up by the club with the administration of his (and one or two other) contract being just allowed to run out as we were all led to believe, he was never going to be the type on which to build the future of the club around. Look at Blackpool in the prem if you need a good example of what statue type defenders get for you!