West Brom sign Nigeria striker Odemwingie

English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion signed Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie from Lokomotiv Moscow for an undisclosed fee on Friday.

Odemwingie agreed a two-year contract with an option for a further year’s extension and the move was completed after he passed a medical.

The 29-year-old becomes boss Roberto Di Matteo’s sixth signing since Albion’s promotion from the Championship last season.

He will go straight into the squad for Saturday’s league clash against Sunderland at the Hawthorns if he gets international clearance in time.

Odemwingie featured for Nigeria at the recent World Cup and scored in his country’s friendly defeat against South Korea last week.

He was born in Uzbekistan to a Russian mother and Nigerian father and enjoyed a successful spell with French club Lille – scoring in a Champions League win over AC Milan – before moving to Lokomotiv, where he scored 21 goals in 70 starts.

Di Matteo, whose side were thrashed 6-0 at Chelsea last weekend, is confident Odemwingie will prove a success in England.

“He is an exciting international, has a great CV and I’m sure seeing a player of his calibre coming into the club will give everyone a lift,” Di Matteo told Albion’s website.

“Peter has got great pace, is two-footed, scores goals and has good experience at a very high level.

“We’ve brought him in as a striker but he can also play out wide, which gives me options.

“For example, when he was in France, he played very much up front on his own whereas for Nigeria he’s played wide and sometimes in a central role.

“His last game was only last midweek for Nigeria and the Russian league is already underway so he should be in good shape for the challenge ahead.”