VERSATILE Chile international Jara Reyes joined Albion in a £1.4million deal on August 25, 2009.

And he committed his future to Albion until 2014 in August 2010 after being rewarded with a new-and-improved contract.

The ex-Colo Colo defender signed a three-year contract, plus a further year's option in the club's favour.

Jara Reyes fired his first-ever Barclays Premier League goal in Albion's historic 3-2 win at Arsenal the following month.

He played the majority of the campaign at right-back but struggled to rediscover his sparkling form of the previous campaign in the top flight and was unecessarily sent-off to reduce Albion to nine-men in November's costly 2-1 defeat at Blackpool live on TV.

He eventually lost his place to Steven Reid on Roy Hodgson's arrival at the club in February.

It was an extended season for Jara Reyes who made four appearances in Chile's unsuccessful Copa America campaign.

Roberto Di Matteo gave the Colo Colo defender the green light after the club's scouting system had tracked him for the previous 14 months.

And he proved a revelation as he took little time to settle into English football.

He was utilised across defence and midfield and quickly became a firm fans' favourite thanks to his skilful, all-action displays.

Jara Reyes' first Baggies goal was a spectacular long-range strike in November's 2-1 win at Leicester.

His domestic season was cruelly cut short by a broken metatarsal in February's FA Cup fifth-round 2-2 draw at Reading and he then had to cope with the shock of the earthquake disaster back in his homeland.

He battled back from both and completed the 2009/10 campaign by playing a major role in helping Chile reach the second round at the World Cup.

The 5ft10in player caught the eye of Albion's head of EU recruitment, Tony Spearing, while playing for Chile Under-23s at the Toulon tournament in 2008.

The Baggies then had him watched in action for Colo Colo, where he played centre-half, and the senior Chile side, for whom he operates at centre-back and full-back, on several occasions. He can also play as a holding midfielder.

At the time of signing, Jara Reyes, who has captained his country, had helped Chile move within touching distance of reaching the 2010 World Cup, scoring in qualifying victories over Columbia and Venezuela.

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(LAST UPDATED AUGUST 26, 2011)