West Brom team news emerges as Bournemouth clash looms large | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion boss Valerien Ismael has told the Express & Star that the club’s new signing Adam Reach will not be involved against Bournemouth this Friday.

The Baggies kick of their Sky Bet Championship campaign with a trip to the Vitality Stadium to take on the Cherries but will have to do it without their latest summer signing on the South Coast.

Reach is currently building up his fitness after spending much of the summer as a free agent following his departure from Sheffield Wednesday and it appears that the opening game will come too soon for him.

Speaking recently about Reach, Ismael was quick to provide the following update over the player ahead of the game:

“He (Reach) is able to play, but he’s not ready to play because I think he is about three weeks behind the other players.

“For sure, he trained in the off-season but he didn’t train with the players so it’s not the same.

“Especially with us, with our intensity, the season will be very long and he will play, but at the minute it’s about making sure he can implement the principles.

“We can work with him properly to make sure in the next 10 days he can have a better fitness level than now.”

Quiz: What was the score the last time West Brom played at each of these 24 stadiums?

1 of 24

What was the score when West Brom last played at Goodison Park?

4-2

5-2

5-3

4-3

Reach became Albion’s third summer signing earlier this week, following in the footsteps of Alex Mowatt and Matt Clarke who both joined from Barnsley and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively.

The 28-year-old has signed a three year deal at the Hawthorns.

The Verdict

This won’t come as too much of a blow to West Brom as realistically Reach is probably a few weeks away from being up to the standard of fitness that he needs to be at.

It is best to get him up to speed first before bedding him in and Albion already have plenty of options that they can utilise in wide areas moving forwards.

I believe that Reach will go on to prove to be a very clever addition by Ismael and it will be intriguing to see where he fits into the current starting eleven if he nails down a spot under the Frenchman.

We saw what he can offer during his time at Wednesday and I think he will be looking to make the same sort of impact in the Midlands over the coming season.