The Nigerian forward has scored 10 goals so far this season, the second most of any player in a bottom-half Premier League team. His performance during Albion's 2-1 win over Liverpool was particularly eye-catching, as although he failed to score, his pace and skill led him to be brought down for both penalties. Hodgson paid tribute to Odemwingie, and was asked if he would have to brace himself for offers for the 29-year-old later in the year. "Perhaps, but I'll worry about that when the time comes," he said. "Whatever happens after the season finishes I'll concern myself with at that time. "Peter's been an excellent signing for the club. "I knew of him at Fulham, when I was working there he was on our scouting radar. "We were interested in him, but didn't need a centre forward at the time." Hodgson believes that no matter how many goals Odemwingie scores this season, he will be judged by how the team performs as a whole. The manager continued: "He'll be pleased with his season so far, but I hope he's going to agree with me that the only way he can really be satisfied is if he does well for his club and his club stays in the league. Odemwingie's efforts are even more impressive due to the fact that he had no real rest over the summer, an issue that has led West Brom to manage his training programme carefully. Hodgson said: "We are aware of the fact that he hasn't had much of a break because he came from the Russian league (which runs from March to November), and has also had the World Cup with Nigeria. "We do try to tailor his programme between games to make certain that we don't burn him out." West Brom take on Sunderland on Saturday, with the Black Cats having picked up just one point from their last seven league games. Hodgson believes this statistic is normal for the Premier League, and doesn't mean his opponents can be taken lightly. "I'm thinking that it's about time that they won a game and it could be on Saturday against us," he said. "They're a good team with good players. "The thing about the Premier League that doesn't get stated often enough is that you can go for long periods without winning a game. "Maybe not if you're one of the top four clubs in the country, but teams from the middle of the table and below can. "Okay, it's happened to Sunderland for the last seven games, but it could happen to any of us for the next seven games."
