Baggies expect Odemwingie stay

Odemwingie: Striker has enjoyed impressive debut season with Baggies

West Brom have revealed they are confident of securing star goalscorer Peter Odemwingie on a new deal.

The prolific hitman has enjoyed a stunning debut season in the Premier League after arriving from Lokomotiv Moscow last summer, notching up 15 goals and a string of impressive performances for the Baggies.

The 29-year-old Nigeria international has a year remaining on his current contract at the Hawthorns plus a further year's option in Albion's favour, but has inevitably attracted attention from elsewhere.

However, the Baggies have opened talks with Odemwingie and his agent over an extension of his existing deal, and sporting and technical director Dan Ashworth is optimistic of keeping him when negotiations resume later this summer.

Confident

"We have spoken to Peter and we have spoken to Peter's representatives," Ashworth told the Express and Star.

"We know where they are and they know where we are and I don't foresee any great problems in sorting out a new contract.

"Things have been held up because all of the relevant parties are away.

"But once we can get everybody together I'm optimistic we'll be OK."

Odemwingie, who has been linked with a number of clubs including Sunderland and Italian giants Juventus, is currently on holiday in South Africa.

The striker was unexpectedly left out of the Nigeria side to face Argentina in next month's international friendly and the 2012 Africa Nation's Cup qualifier against Ethiopia by coach Samson Siasia.

Omission

The omission occurred after Siasia accused him of departing the Nigeria squad without permission in March.

However a spokesman for the Nigeria team, media officer Colin Udoh, predicts a swift return for the forward.

"The player has just been left out for a couple of games and, knowing him as well as I do, I can assure you that he will be looking to get back into the squad for the next Nigeria game," said Udoh.

"We haven't really spoken since the incident. We just swapped text messages before he went on holidays, but Osaze (Odemwingie's Nigerian name) will soon be back playing for Nigeria."