West Bromwich Albion striker Nicolas Anelka was due to resume training yesterday following compassionate leave, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old former France international has been absent from the Midlands side following the death of his friend and agent Eric Manasse, with some reports suggesting Anelka was on the verge of quitting the game completely.
However, an Albion statement said: “Albion can confirm that Nicolas Anelka will resume first-team training tomorrow [Thursday] and be available for selection for Sunday’s game against Swansea [City].
Photo: AFP
“The striker was excused from club duty for the fixtures against Everton and Newport [County] on compassionate grounds and, having met with head coach Steve Clarke today [Wednesday], he will rejoin his teammates tomorrow [Thursday],” the statement said.
Clarke made it clear after Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Newport County in the League Cup he was eager to find out what Anelka’s plans were given it was not long before the transfer window closed.
“The situation has not really changed, but I’m conscious time is short in the remaining part of the transfer window, so it’s something I’ll try to address tomorrow. We have to try to arrange a meeting as quickly as we can to try to get it sorted,” Clarke said. “I have to sit down and speak to Nicolas. That’s the first thing. We have to get in touch with him or he has to get in touch with us, and we have to see where he is, where he’s at, how he feels, as quickly as possible. We have to have that chat.”
“The furthest away he can be is London, because that’s where he lives. I don’t think he has a house in France. He’s not there, as far as I know,” Clarke added.
Anelka’s much-traveled career has taken him to six countries and six different Premier League clubs.
He joined West Brom on a one-year deal last month, but his only appearance for the Baggies to date came in a 1-0 defeat by Southampton on the opening day of the season.
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
RSS