JUVE NAB ENZO

Albion chairman Paul Thompson reportedly threatened to walk out of the negotiations after Juventus refused to pay more than £3 million.

Thompson, who was appointed as chairman on Christmas Eve, was keen to avoid accusations of selling his player on the cheap as many feel previous chairman Tony Hale did in letting Kevin Kilbane go to Sunderland for £2.5 million and eventually the Turin giants agreed to stump up the extra cash.

Maresca`s English agent Mel Eves congratulated the Black Country outfit on their part in the deal saying: "Paul Thompson, John Wile and John Evans have done a first class job for Albion.

"They stuck to their guns. Juventus are one of the top clubs in the world and are extremely experienced when it comes to negotiating transfers."

The Hawthorns` chief executive John Wile said he was delighted with the deal struck for the services of the multi-talented 19-year-old starlet.

"From Albion`s point of view we are very happy with the fee," Wile said. "It`s been a very tough 24 hours but in the end this is what the club wanted and what Enzo wanted.

The Italian under-20 captain moved to The Hawthorns in the summer of 1998 on a Bosman Ruling free transfer from Cagliari but found his first team opportunities but, much to the West Brom fans` disdain, his first team opportunities were limited in his first season under previous manager Denis Smith.

With Brian Little`s arrival last August Maresca saw much more action and a string of impressive performances attracted the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Parma as well as Juve.

Maresca, who will be unveiled to the Italian media on Tuesday, made 47 appearances for The Baggies, 19 as substitute, and scored five times.