How are ex-West Brom stars Cedric Kipre and Yann M'Vila getting on in France? | OneFootball

Cedric Kipre and Yann M'Vila moved to France after their deals at West Brom expires in the summer.

West Brom had a very busy summer as Carlos Corberan refreshed the squad following their play-off semi-final defeat to Southampton over two legs.

The early signs suggest the work done over the past few months has worked, as Albion currently lead the way in the Championship after five games, having picked up 13 points, and the boss looks to have found a settled XI.

Another positive is the fact they’ve conceded just two goals, keeping three clean sheets, with Semi Ajayi stepping up and showing his class after Cedric Kipre’s departure.

Cedric Kipre making his mark in Ligue 1 with Reims

The Ivory Coast international was outstanding for Albion last season, so many expected him to be a big miss when he decided to leave as his contract at The Hawthorns expired in the summer.

Despite the club making an effort to keep Kipre, he decided to explore a new challenge, with the defender eventually joining Reims. The 27-year-old didn’t finalise his move to the top-flight French side until late July, so he was always playing catch-up in terms of fitness.

Therefore, he was unlikely to start the season, and that proved to be the case, as Kipre was on the bench for Reims’ opener, which they lost.

But, two substitute appearances followed, as Kipre was called on to help see out a creditable 2-2 draw at Marseille, before he came on in the 80th minute as the side beat Rennes at home.

Then, after the international break, Kipre was deemed ready to make his first start for his new club, and he put in an impressive display as Reims beat Nantes away from home.

So, it’s fair to say Kipre has settled very well with Reims, as he is yet to taste defeat, although he is sure to get a stern test this weekend as they play champions PSG.

Yann M’Vila is playing in the French second tier

Yann M’Vila is another player who was part of West Brom’s squad last season and is now playing in France.

It’s fair to say that the ex-Sunderland man didn’t make the same contribution as Kipre, but he did feature in nine games after signing a short-term deal.

At 34, it always seemed unlikely that he was going to get offered a new deal at The Hawthorns, and that proved to be the case, with the midfielder joining Caen on a two-year contract.

The second division side have been in the news this summer due to Kylian Mbappé buying a majority stake in the club, but they have endured a tough start to the campaign, collecting just one point from their opening four games, leaving them in the relegation play-off position.

M’Vila has featured in all four games, starting the last three, so the move has at least given him the opportunity to get the minutes that he would want at this stage of his career.

But, he will be hoping to inspire a turnaround for the team over the coming weeks as they look to climb the table following that poor start.