Town boss Paul Jewell has confirmed that keeper Márton Fülöp has joined West Brom on a free transfer, signing a one-year deal. The Hungarian was left out of the Blues 16 for today’s victory at Bristol City with stories linking him with the Baggies having surfaced earlier in the week.
Jewell said: "He’s gone to West Brom on a free transfer. We wish Márton well but I think David Stockdale was quality today. He made a great save at a vital time and has terrific distribution of the ball.
"We’re a little bit on tenterhooks with David because of the recall, so it’s always a bit of a concern. It’s a chance that we can take and it will work out for us.”
The Blues boss says he expects Fülöp to battle Ben Foster for his place in the side at the Hawthorns: "I don’t know whether he’s going to get in the team ahead of Ben Foster but if you’re going to play second fiddle to someone, you may as well do that in the Premier League.
"His contract’s running out and to be fair to Márton he does want to play and he will push Ben Foster all the way. He’s a good goalkeeper. But it was a deal which we felt was right for us and the player wanted to do it.”
Jewell confirmed that he will be on the search for a replacement: "We’ll be looking for a goalkeeper, so it’s an ongoing situation.”
Arran Lee-Barrett is Town’s other senior keeper, while US U20 international Cody Cropper was recently given a one-year professional contract but has not been allocated a squad number and is not yet thought ready for first team involvement.