West Brom complete £4.5m permanent signing of Ahmed Hegazi

The Baggies, who initially took the 26-year-old on a season-long loan, have activated a clause in his contract early in order to tie him down to the club ahead of the January transfer window.

Hegazi's performances had caught the attention of several other clubs, including Liverpool, but he has signed a four-and-a-half year contract which commits him to the Baggies until the summer of 2022.

The Nesta of the Pyramids, as he is known in Europe, has been hugely impressive at the back for the Baggies this season, and has played more minutes than any other player so far.

After quickly convincing new head coach Alan Pardew, the Baggies board decided to trigger the clause in his contract that gave them first refusal until June 30, 2018.

“This is great news for the club," said Pardew. "Ahmed has been absolutely terrific for me since I arrived and I am sure there is even more to come from him in the future.

“He is one of the players we can build around on the road ahead. He has a big role to play and it is good for the player and the club to remove any doubts and make the transfer permanent.

“I’m sure it is something the supporters will also welcome.”

Hegazi has made 125 clearances in the league this season, more than double than anyone else in the team. Second in the list is defensive partner Jonny Evans with 61.

Only Brighton's Shane Duffy (155) and Burnley's James Tarkowski (145) have made more clearances in the Premier League.

He also tops Albion's interceptions chart with 33, two more than second-placed Grzegorz Krychowiak on 31.

The Egyptian penned his new deal at The Hawthorns yesterday, where he was joined by his wife and two young children.

“I am very happy with the club and very happy to be part of this group of players,” he said.

“I know the results are not what we would want at the moment. But there is great spirit here and I am sure that we will turn the results in our favour before long.”

Hegazi was spotted by former Baggies boss Tony Pulis at the African Cup of Nations earlier this year, when Egypt reached the final.

He was brought in on a season-long loan in July, and immediately became a cult hero at The Hawthorns.

He scored the winner in the opening day victory over Bournemouth which remains the only home win of the season so far.

In October, he helped Egypt qualify for the World Cup finals in Russia next summer.