Jake Livermore signing: West Brom get their man for £10m

The 27-year-old has put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half year deal that will see him at the Hawthorns until the summer of 2021.

Livermore, who spent two-and-a-half-seasons with Hull City, becomes Albion's first signing of the January transfer window.

Manager Tony Pulis was delighted to add strength and depth in the midfield area following the departure of Craig Gardner to Birmingham City.

"Craig Gardner leaving left us short of a certain type of midfield player," explained Pulis, "and in Jake we have brought in a very, very good player."

"I watched him a lot when he was at Tottenham and thought he would go on to establish himself as a top six player.

"Maybe he has just drifted away a little from that – although having said that two promotions and a Cup final with Hull should not be forgotten. But I believe this lad is a very, very good player and I'm delighted we've got him."

Pulis is a keen admirer of the flexibility of the former England man, who will provide stern competition for Claudio Yacob.

"He is a fantastic character and as a player is good enough on the ball but also possesses fantastic energy. He's a good age at 27 and I believe his next three or four years will be his best.

"There's a dearth of mid-20s players in our group. We've got good young ones who are part and parcel of the future but we want to trim the age at the top end.

"At the same time, we need to get experienced players in – players who still have a lot left in the tank and something to prove and Jake is one of those players."