By Simon Wright – Follow
me on Twitter @Siwri88
Nicolas
Anelka’s future in professional football is in doubt on Thursday night, with
speculation flying around that he is planning to announce his retirement from
the game with immediate effect.
The
much-travelled Frenchman, who has represented no fewer than five Premier League
clubs in his career, only joined West Brom this summer on a free transfer from
Serie A champions Juventus.
Anelka had
scored seven goals in pre-season, but looked totally inept in the Baggies’
disappointing opening weekend defeat at home to Southampton.
Now Sky Sports sources understand Anelka (pictured) walked out of training on Thursday, and suggest
he has decided to hang up his boots.
West Brom
have denied the story, but did add fuel to the fire by adding that Anelka has
been excused from being part of the squad that travel to Goodison Park to take
on Everton on Saturday.
A short
statement on the club’s website reads: “West Bromwich Albion can confirm that
Nicolas Anelka will not be involved in Saturday’s game at Everton.
“The club
have excused the striker from club duty on compassionate grounds.”
The Daily Telegraph understands that this is because Anelka’s agent, Eric Manasse has
suddenly died at the tender age of just 34.
Indications are the former Champions League winner has been considering
his future in the game for days, and has now cleared out his locker at the club’s
training ground.
It will be a
body blow for manager Steve Clarke, who had been banking on the potential goal tally
Anelka could bring to his team to make up for the loss of loan sensation Romelu
Lukaku, who returned to his parent club Chelsea for this campaign. Clarke has had a tough time in the past few
months but handled the Peter Odemwingie situation brilliantly back in February,
and his news conference on Friday morning ahead of the Everton game will surely
reveal more about the story.
34-year-old
Anelka has had a nomadic career, falling out with many players and managers
along the way. He won the Premier League
title in his first full season with Arsenal in 1998, and repeated this success
in his happiest spell of his time in England with Chelsea three years ago.
Anelka has
also spent time with Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and six months on loan
at Liverpool in 2002 on these shores. He
has also played for Real Madrid, Fenerbahce and Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese
Super League.
If Anelka has
decided to call time on his career, then it is the departure of another
character from the game in 2013. The
jury will be split on how much he has achieved for the talent he had as a youngster
at Arsenal, but he has scored won major titles in England and Turkey and made
headlines along the way.
Once again
though, confusion reigns at West Brom which is something that Clarke and his
determined playing squad don’t need and don’t deserve after achieving a
brilliant eighth place finish in the Premier League last season.
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