West Brom sign Matej Vydra on season-long loan

The 21-year-old will train with his team-mates on Thursday after passing a medical at the weekend and flying to Prague to link up with his international colleagues.

Head coach Steve Clarke said: "I'm delighted to welcome Matej to the club.

"He had a really good year with Watford and we believe he's got the qualities to score goals at a higher level.

"Hopefully, he'll show that this year with us.

"We had Matej watched throughout last season. As well as some excellent scouting reports, we had some really good feedback from within Watford about Matej as both a player and person.

"I've said previously we're a bit light in the forward areas and Matej will increase competition for places. He's another good quality striker to add to the other three senior forwards we have here."

Vydra is set to compete with Shane Long, Markus Rosenberg and summer signing Nicolas Anelka for places in Clarke's forward line after the Baggies head coach sanctioned the signing.

Vydra is viewed as a calculated risk as he has no Premier League experience but he was voted Championship player of the season last term after his impressive stint with the Hornets, during which he scored 22 goals in 32 starts to help Gianfranco Zola's men qualify for the Championship play-offs.Sporting and technical director Richard Garlick, said: "Matej is a player we watched consistently last season due to the level of his performances for Watford and the number of goals he scored.

"We faced a lot of competition for his signature and we're delighted he has chosen us to make the step up to Barclays Premier League level.

"Matej feels he can be successful here and we believe he will bring a different dimension to our attacking options.

"He's a clever player, is quick and can play anywhere across the front three positions, or in a slightly withdrawn role."