Cedric Kipre joined West Brom from Wigan this past summer (Getty Images)
According to Express & Star, West Brom have held talks with Wigan Athletic over a potential deal for defender Cedric Kipre this summer. The 23-year-old is expected to depart the DW Stadium after the Latics suffered relegation from the Championship and were placed in administration due to their financial difficulties. (h/t Express & Star)
As per the report, Blackburn Rovers are also interested in signing the Paris-born central defender, who is understood to be valued at £900,000 by Wigan. However, Albion are currently leading the race for his signature, thanks to their Premier League status.
Born in Paris, Cedric Kipre spent six years in the youth ranks of Paris Saint-Germain between 2008 and 2014 before moving on to join Leicester City.
However, the French-Ivorian defender failed to make a single first-team appearance for the Foxes and spent time on loan at non-league club Corby Town before moving across the border to join Scottish club Motherwell.
A successful campaign in the Scottish Premiership paved the way for a switch to Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2018. Kipre has since made 75 appearances for the Latics in all competitions, scoring twice in the process.
The Baggies conceded 45 goals in 46 league games en route to their 2nd-place finish in the Championship last season. That was the third-best defensive record in the entire division, behind only Leeds United and Brentford, meaning that West Brom looked fairly secure at the back.
The first-choice centre-back pairing of Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley played a key role in the club’s promotion-winning campaign with several top-notch displays. Ahmed Hegazy largely featured as an understudy to Bartley and Ajayi but the Egyptian played his part perfectly well.
With that in mind, however, West Brom need to add more depth to their central defensive cavalry this summer as things are going to be a lot tougher in the Premier League next season. Moreover, with fixtures set to come thick and fast until Christmas due to the delayed start, the Baggies would be better off going into the campaign with at least four regular centre-backs in their squad.
Cedric Kipre might not add PL experience to Slaven Bilic’s ranks but the Ivorian looks good enough to make the step up to the top-flight after enjoying a couple of impressive campaigns in the Championship.
At 23, Cedric Kipre still has a lot of time on his side to make significant improvements to his game in a bid to establish himself as a quality defender in the Premier League.
His lack of previous experience in the top-flight makes him somewhat of a gamble for a promoted club like West Brom, but Kipre could well be a gamble worth taking for the Baggies if he is, indeed, available for a meagre £900,000 in the market.