West Bromwich Albion are close to bringing Gareth Barry back to The Hawthorns, Slaven Bilic has confirmed.
West Bromwich Albion manager Slaven Bilic has admitted that Gareth Barry is close to signing a new deal at The Hawthorns and praised the veteran midfielder as the “full package”, as reported by the Birmingham Mail.
Barry is currently a free agent after his contract at The Hawthorns expired in the summer, but has spent the past few months training with the Baggies, as he works towards his recovery from surgery following a knee injury that saw him miss the end of last season.
A dispute with Barry’s former club Everton held up the deal, but according to the Birmingham Mail, a breakthrough in negotiations has been made, and as such Bilic told reporters on Thursday that the deal is roughly “10 percent” away from completion.
“I hope that he will sign, that’s what we want, that’s what he wants,” said the West Brom boss. “He’s that close, he’s like 10 percent or whatever you call it.
“He made a long journey from his operation. He worked really hard every day in the gym, then on a pitch and then with us. Now he’s close to playing for us. It will be brilliant to have him with us. First of all you need that kind of quality in the middle of the park, secondly you need that type of character around you.”
With the Baggies currently flying high in the Championship, there is real optimism regarding the hopes of making a return to the Premier League, and Bilic hailed Barry’s qualities both during games and in training, suggesting he could be of great help during this season’s promotion tilt.
“On the pitch, definitely with his calmness, his composure, his quality and his playmaking abilities, and also at the training ground – it’s a full package,” added the Albion boss.
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