After the international break, West Brom will play against Bristol City this next weekend.
Pipa, a West Brom loanee who joined Albion on the final day of the transfer window, was given the number 26 jersey. The Spaniard is anticipated to be a part of the team that goes to Bristol City on Saturday as domestic football resumes. He will play as a right wing-back and compete for that position with the currently available Darnell Furlong.
Pipa, whose parent club Ludogorets has already given him domestic and European playing time this season, will don the number once worn by former Albion defenders Zac Ashworth, Ahmed Hegazi, James Hurst, Gabriel Tamas, Jonas Olsson, and Pele.
Dressing room aim
Pipa joined Albion this season with the intention of assisting them in achieving their goals. He will be working with Carlos Corberan for the third time in his career, and after helping his compatriot at Huddersfield almost miss achieving Premier League promotion, he aims to support Albion in their own efforts this season.
“I want to support this club in achieving its goals. I want to have fun playing football here, give it my all, and accomplish what we can,” he declared. “You don’t have to think to get somewhere; just try to do your best and it will all work out,”
READ: Pipa, a new West Brom addition, has experience as a center forward for Spain and a bond with Corberan.
The team’s longest-tenured player concurs with those remarks made by their newest recruit. In what is his final contracted year at the club, Matt Phillips, who has one goal to his name this season and has been playing as a left wing-back early in the season, wants to return the team to the top tier.
Yes, he stated, “First and foremost, we want to be promoted, in whatever capacity it occurs as a team. “I’m working to bring this club back to its rightful place, along with everyone else in the changing room. We anticipate having a fantastic season.
Ajayi’s AFCON adventure
In Nigeria’s decisive 6-0 victory over So Tomé and Prncipe in their final AFCON qualification group game on Sunday, Semi Ajayi played 90 additional minutes. The Super Eagles, who have many Premier League players in their lineup, qualified for the AFCON competition being hosted in Ivory Coast in June of this year and won their group with five victories out of six.
If all goes well, Ajayi will be a member of that team. Over the past year or so, he has established himself in the starting XI, at least in the games in which he has been available and fit. Ajayi competes for spots with players like Calvin Bassey, Jordan Torunarigha, and William Troost-Ekong.
From mid-January through mid-February, AFCON 2023 will take place. Ajayi might miss up to five league games during that span, in addition to a potential FA Cup fourth round match, if he plays for a Nigerian team that advances far in the competition. His absence against Huddersfield before the break was felt in the team’s defeat.
Towards the end of the summer transfer season, Albion managed to keep most of its important first-team players, but raising money and cutting costs for the team is still essential. January is already shaping up to be an important month, and it will be necessary to account for the potential loss of their most athletic and agile center back for a number of games.
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