Chris Mepham not deterred by transfer 'free-for-all' that ended in move to West Brom
New Albion recruit Chris Mepham admitted a late window "free-for-all" left him playing catch-up when checking into The Hawthorns.
Central defender Mepham, 27, has settled into his new surroundings admirably following the £1million move from Premier league Bournemouth.
Wales international Mepham, a two-time Championship promotion-winner, wasted little time making an impression with the Baggies as Ryan Mason immediately introduced him to the starting line-up in the wake of Torbjorn Heggem's sale to Bologna.
The former Cherries stopper caught the eye with a classy debut in the 1-0 win at Stoke last month just days after signing. He was similarly assured despite Derby's late smash and grab last weekend in the Rams' only effort on target.
It was a season of relative unknown last term for Mepham, followed by a summer of uncertainty. In the final year of his contract with Bournemouth, the defender excelled on loan at Sunderland in helping the Black Cats win promotion to the Premier League, after which his parent club opted to take out the 12-month option in Mepham's deal to protect their asset.
There were talks with several interested parties all summer, but things really clicked into gear in August when Ryan Mason and the Albion hierarchy outlined their plans for the Welshman around Heggem's imminent exit.
"It was quite late to be honest with you," Mepham told the Express & Star. "There was a lot of different conversations with clubs and from the start of the window to the end there was different clubs being mentioned and stuff like that.