STEVEN Reid agreed to become Albion's second signing of the summer in May 2010 and is now in his ninth successive season in the Premier League.

The former Ireland international officially joined on a Bosman transfer on July 1 after penning a two-year contract, plus a further year's option in the club's favour.

Reid spent the final two months of the 2009/10 season at The Hawthorns on loan from Blackburn and produced a string of consistent performances at right-back to help the club clinch automatic promotion with three games to spare.

And Albion beat off interest from a string of rivals to sign him on a permanent basis.

Reid further showed his commitment to the Baggies cause in July when he retired from international football after earning 23 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

Reid made his debut for first club Millwall at the tender age of 17 and represented England at junior level before opting to play full international football for Ireland, for whom he starred at the 2002 World Cup.

He moved to Ewood Park in 2003 and underlined both his athleticism and flexibility by operating in several positions for Rovers.

But it was from a central midfield berth that he won Blackburn's goal-of-the-season award in 2005/06 thanks to his thunderbolt at Wigan.

Injuries limited Reid to 44 appearances in the four seasons prior to joining the Baggies.

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(LAST UPDATED AUGUST 25, 2011)