West Brom are stressing that Boaz Myhill's arrival at the Hawthorns is purely to "intensify competition for the goalkeeping jersey". But something doesn't add up.And Scott Carson is surely fearing now that his place is in jeopardy for the curtain-raiser at Chelsea.
Roberto Di Matteo has spent most of the summer hunting for another goalkeeper, with three bids rejected for Preston's Andy Lonergan before Albion pulled out of the chase due to a restrictive £2 million asking price.
But Di Matteo did not give up and his decision to raid cash-strapped Hull for Myhill, for a fee of around £1.25 million, proves how desperate he was to bring in a rival for Carson.
Myhill was one of the few Hull players to impress in the Premier League last term and his form over the past 18 months has seen him linked with both Spurs and Fulham.
Because he is so highly-rated, his move to the Hawthorns hardly quells suspicions that Carson is facing a nervous fortnight.
Why would a goalkeeper leave a club where he is guaranteed first team football to pick up splinters in his backside on the bench, even if it is the league above?
Sure, Hull are seriously struggling in terms of finance and Myhill may have been told the Tigers had no alternative but to sell. But the life of a No.2 goalkeeper is at times excruciatingly frustrating and Myhill's decision could be seen as a real step back - unless he has been given guarantees that he has a genuine chance to be the No.1. Albion can talk of competition all they like, but for goalkeepers it is a different case in point.
Carson has spoken in recent weeks of his desire to make a return to the England squad. Last season in the Championship he was relatively unnoticed, off the radar as he spent 12 months repairing his reputation after the infamous howler in the torrential rain at Wembley against Croatia three years ago.
He was solid enough, but there were still signs of nerves and a lack of confidence at times.
It is unclear what Di Matteo exactly thinks of the former Liverpool keeper. But his dogged pursuit of another player for that position certainly sends out a message that his place is up for grabs.
"I'm sure he will fit nicely into our goalkeeping department," he said. "We've now got two very good international keepers working under our goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely.
"Competition is vital in all areas of the squad and I'm confident Scott and Boaz will drive each other on."
One thing is for certain though. With the first four away games against the Premier League champions, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United, whoever gets the nod is definitely going to be busy.
