Nicolas Anelka has left West Brom’s training ground

According to various reports, Nicolas Anelka has left West Brom's training ground, with rumours circulating that he's retiring from the game

Reports today are suggesting that Nicolas Anelka has walked out of a West Brom training session, with conflicting reports as to the motive behind the move. According to Sky Sports News, he told the staff at the club that he had made the decision to retire, but that has been contradicted by journalist Chris Lepkowski, who covers West Brom for the Birmingham Mail.

#wba insist Anelka has NOT retired. I understand his agent has died - which has hit him badly. What the future holds, we'll see

— Chris Lepkowski (@chrislepkowski) August 22, 2013

Amid much speculation on Twitter, the club's official website has stated that he has been allowed to leave on compassionate grounds, so that would seem to fit with Lepkowski's version of events. We'll keep an eye on how this goes over the coming hours to see if there are any further developments.