Scott Carson has been a footballing nomad since his teens.

Now the new Albion goalkeeper is ready to put down some roots and he is booking in for an extended stay at The Hawthorns.

Still just 22, Carson made the Baggies the sixth club of his wandering professional existence last week when he agreed to become potentially the club’s record signing.

And after making fewer than 40 appearances for each of his previous employers, Carson has designs on a much longer stay at his second West Midland club.

“I’m pleased to no longer be a footballing nomad,” said the England man, who has been a Liverpool player since 2005 but has turned out for four teams during his time at Anfield.

“I just want to get settled now. I’ve been like a nomad for the last three or four years. It will be good to get some roots down.”

It is the chance to feel at home that Albion hope will draw the best from Carson, who was one of England’s hottest goalkeeping prospects before one howler against Croatia on his full international debut drew harsh derision and sparked a loss of form for Aston Villa.

Having played for Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton and Villa in his relatively short career, Carson was keen to leave Anfield and put his wandering days behind him.

There were offers from Albion and Stoke but, after chatting to Tony Mowbray and touring the Baggies’ facilities, the big Cumbrian knew that Albion was the place where he saw his future.

“It was a big decision for me,” he said. “Stoke were really interested. I went there, had a look around and then came here.

“It was a really close decision but having spoken to the manager and seen the facilities here I could just see myself staying for four or five years, maybe even longer.

“I can see myself being here for a long time and that’s what I wanted. I didn’t want to go somewhere and after one or two years not be happy.

“Hopefully I’ve made the right decision. I think I have and hopefully I’ll be here for the next few years.”

For much of last season it seemed inconceivable that Carson would end up at The Hawthorns. His future looked to be at Villa Park with the structure of a deal already in place to make his loan from Liverpool into a permanent switch.

But the mistake with which he will forever be linked in England’s crucial Euro 2008 qualifier at Wembley changed everything.

Villa boss Martin O’Neill began to doubt the wisdom of the transfer and, while he insisted he retained an interest, Carson started to fear he might be swapping Liverpool’s reserves for Villa’s.

“There was no ‘yes or no’ from them,” said Carson. “Martin O’Neill said he was still interested but made it clear he was also looking for a more experienced keeper as well and I couldn’t go somewhere just to be second choice. I would have been better off staying at Liverpool.”

Now his career has taken a different path as he swaps O’Neill’s Villa revolution for Tony Mowbray’s fight to establish Albion in the top flight.

And, after three loan spells, Carson is hoping a permanent move and the stability of a three-year contract will help him rediscover the form that earned him an England call in the first place.

“It’s not easy to go somewhere for a season and try to settle quickly with people expecting you to play well straight away,” he said.

“It takes three or four months to settle down, get to know the area only to then find yourself having to move away again. I know the area well from last season and that should make it easier for me to settle down a bit quicker.

“The training ground is superb, they’ve got a great history and they have been in the Premier League before and know what it’s about.

“Hopefully that will give us the upper hand in being prepared for next season.

“There’s no guarantees for any club but everyone here is working really hard and hopefully trying to have the best season they can.

“Having been here for a few days I think we’re capable of having a good season too.”

Carson is no stranger to the kind of season Albion are likely to face and he has an encouraging history fighting to stay in the Premier League.

He was one of Charlton’s star performers in the top flight two season ago. And although that campaign ended ultimately in relegation, he believes the experience could prove invaluable.

“It was obviously different at Charlton to Villa,” he said. “I was doing a lot more. It could be the same here but we won’t know where we are until five or 10 games into the season.

“There were some good players at Charlton but there were three managers that season and a bit of turmoil so it wasn’t easy for the players.

“The manager here has a good basis from last season and he is just trying to build on that.

“We do have a lot of quality here. You can see the lads like to play football and hopefully we can do that in the Premier League. I saw some of their games, especially the FA Cup semi-final, and I think they had the upper hand over Portsmouth and were unlucky to lose.”