Mel revels in West Brom appointment

The new Baggies boss is delighted to be managing in the Premier League and is keen to appease the fans with his own brand of possession-based football at the Hawthorns

New West Brom head coach Pepe Mel has declared his delight at having landed a job in the Premier League.

The Spaniard is preparing to take charge of his first match at the Hawthorns when the Baggies host Everton on Monday.

And Mel, who last managed Real Betis, revealed the club had held a long-standing interest in him, and vowed to bring his own brand of possession football to the Midlands.

"West Bromwich Albion are the club that showed the most interest in me from day one," he told reporters. "My plan is to win, it is my only mentality.

"We'll be looking to get the ball back as soon as possible and then keeping it.

"I think England is the best place to be, with the best coaches and players. It is also the birthplace of the game. I hope to see the fans doing the boing-boing very soon."

Mel also reminisced about being a club-mate of a West Brom legend during the early years of his playing career at Real Madrid.

"You may not know but I was at Real Madrid as an 18-year-old when they had Laurie Cunningham," he added.

West Brom currently sit 14th in the Premier League, three points clear of the relegation zone.