Former France international Yann M’Vila has joined Championship side West Bromwich Albion on a short-term deal, the club have officially announced.
The defensive midfielder left Greek Super League club Olympiacos earlier this season and has been a free agent since. It will be the second time the 33-year-old has played under Baggies boss Carlos Corberan, who managed the Piraeus club before he was fired after just two months in charge in 2022.
The 33-year-old has previously played in England before, with a season-long loan at Sunderland during his time at Rubin Kazan. He made 37 appearances in the Premier League for the Black Cats, recording a 17th-place finish in 2015/16. He has also made appearances for Serie A giants Inter Milan, along with French clubs Rennes and Saint-Étienne during his 17-year career.
Furthermore, the Frenchman was previously linked with a return to the Stadium of Light back in January, as per Foot Mercato, but no deal ever came to fruition.
Speaking to club media upon his arrival at The Hawthorns, M’Vila was pleased to join the club and get a second chance to play in the country. He said: “I was really excited when I heard about West Bromwich Albion’s interest in me.
“I know the manager Carlos Corberán really well and he knows me really well because we worked together before in Greece at Olympiacos.
“It was a pleasure to work with him and I’m really pleased to be back with him again now. He contacted me and asked me to come here and straight away, I said yes.
“I had one year playing in England before at Sunderland and I really enjoyed it. I had calls from clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, but I wanted to play one more time in England.”
Born in Amiens, the midfielder has recorded 22 caps for his nation and was part of Les Bleus’ EURO 2012 squad that reached the quarter-finals.
Speaking more on his relationship with his new manager, M’Vila added: “Carlos is a very good coach. For me, he is so, so smart when it comes to the tactical and technical side of the game.
“For me, he will be one of the best coaches in the world in the next few years because he is so detailed in everything he does.
“When I talk to him, I can see he loves football and that it’s his life. I feel the same. Football is my life and I’m delighted to be at Albion.
“I only had about two months with him, but the connection was perfect. I want to play for him and I want to give my maximum for him.”
West Bromwich Albion currently sit in fifth place in the Championship table, just one point above seventh-placed Norwich City going into their midweek fixture against Plymouth Argyle tomorrow night.
Writer’s View
Yann M’Vila offers a hefty amount of international experience to the middle of the park for The Baggies. He was a player who should have stayed in England for much longer than he did, with Sunderland not opting to buy him at the end of his loan despite both player and then-manager Sam Allardyce wanting to sign permanently.
West Brom’s midfield has been stretched thin over recent months, so bringing in the 33-year-old also offers more depth in options for Carlos Corberan. Jayson Molumby is out for an extended period with a foot injury, so the Spanish manager has opted to dive into the free-agency market. He was clearly impressed in the two months he worked with the French international at Olympiacos to opt to bring him in to help the West Midlands club secure a play-off finish this season.
