da 888： Rickie Lambert joined West Brom from Liverpool last week and just three hours after putting pen-to-paper, the striker scored two goals in a 4-0 victory over his former club Bristol Rovers.
da pixbet： Talk about making a good early impression, and Tony Pulis will have been suitably impressed with his new £3million signing.
“Rickie is a good, strong, solid player who is a great character, good in the dressing room and good on the pitch,” said West Brom head coach Tony Pulis.
And it does look like a good fit for the Baggies, as Lambert has proven he can deliver the goods in the Premier League. Scoring 15 and 13 goals in his two seasons for Southampton before his £4m move to his boyhood club Liverpool last summer.
However, the move to Liverpool was never the right thing for the England international’s career. Of course it is understandable why Lambert went to Anfield – he was 32 and wasn’t ever going to get another chance to play for his boyhood team.
But in reality, the move wasn’t right for the striker. He isn’t that standard of player and has already produced the best football of his career when the expectation levels aren’t as high as they were at Anfield.
This is a view shared by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher who said recently: “When I watched him for Liverpool he was trying too hard as he was desperate to do well for his boyhood club.
“I think he’ll do very well for Tony Pulis and we’ll see more of the Rickie Lambert we saw at Southampton.”
And you could certainly see the case for saying Lambert would get back to his best at Albion. If two goals, albeit in a pre-season friendly, are anything to go by then West Brom fans should look forward to a big season from their new striker.
He is strong, both in the air and on the deck, has a great touch, is classy on the ball and has some real quality in his game.
Pulis will be getting a good quality signing in Lambert, who is capable of scoring goals in the Premier League and, in the right system with the right players around him, it does indeed look as though he’ll be a solid signing for Pulis’ men. The style the Welshman plays will suit Lambert’s game, as he is both capable of feeding off crosses and linking the play for his team mates.
He will only improve the side and will give Pulis options to play two up top, potentially partnering Saido Berahino up top. It may well be a good partnership between the two England men, as Berahino’s movement could exploit spaces in behind and Lambert’s touch and vision could help find the runs of the Baggies’ top scorer last season.
It is a shrewd bit of business by Pulis and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Lambert get back to his best at the Hawthorns.
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