London: Striker Rickie Lambert joined West Bromwich Albion from Liverpool on a two-year contract on Friday and quickly celebrated with two goals in a pre-season friendly.
The 33-year-old England international has signed for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £3 million (Dh17 million).
After excelling during a five-year spell at Southampton, Lambert joined boyhood club Liverpool in a £4 million deal last year, but he endured a frustrating time at Anfield, scoring only three goals.
“Rickie is a good, strong, solid player who is a great character, good in the dressing room and good on the pitch,” West Brom manager Tony Pulis told the club website.
“We are very pleased to have him on board. He’s a player of great pedigree and we look forward to integrating him into our squad.”
Lambert didn’t take long to begin repaying Pulis’s faith as he scored twice for the Baggies in their friendly win at Bristol Rovers just hours after completing his switch.
He started the match against his old club, opening the scoring with a deflected effort in the 23rd minute and doubling his tally with a close-range finish a minute after the break before being replaced in the 56th minute.
Lambert is West Brom’s third close-season signing after winger James McClean joined from Wigan Athletic and centre-back James Chester arrived from Hull City.
Having been released by Liverpool aged 15, Lambert played for Blackpool, Macclesfield Town, Stockport County, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers before helping Southampton rise from the third tier to the Premier League.
He made a memorable England debut against Scotland in an August 2013 friendly at Wembley, rising from the bench to head home the winning goal in a 3-2 victory with his first touch as an international footballer.
He has since made 10 further England appearances, scoring two goals, and was a member of Roy Hodgson’s squad at last year’s World Cup in Brazil.
