ROBERTO Di Matteo has revealed his interest in Simon Cox - and hopes to make him his first new signing at The Hawthorns.

The new Baggies head coach confirmed the club have agreed a deal with Swindon for the 22-year-old striker and the player is set to arrive at Albion's training ground early next week for a medical.

"I am aware of the deal and that we have agreed terms," said Di Matteo.

"The player will be coming in next week for a medical.

"He is a very good player, has a very good scoring record and I am happy for the deal to go ahead."

Cox was joint 29-goal top goalscorer with Bristol Rovers' Rickie Lambert in all four English divisions last season.

He smashed 32 goals in total for the League One outfit, including three hat-ricks in games with Hartlepool, Scunthorpe and Northampton.

Cox was watched on several occasions by Albion staff last season.

He rounded off the campaign with back-to-back braces against the Pirates and Peterborough.

The Reading-born hitman joined his hometown club at the age of nine and came through the ranks to make his senior debut in the Royals' League Cup victory at Luton in September 2005.

He found first-team chances hard to come by at the Madejski Stadium and spent time on loan at Brentford, which was interrupted by him breaking his leg in September 2006, and Northampton.

Following a successful loan spell at the Robins, when he fired eight goals in 19 games, he made a permanent beat-the-deadline move to The County Ground in January 2008. 

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