ALBION’s newest recruit Wes Hoolahan is excited by the “great opportunity” his arrival at The Hawthorns brings.
The Baggies took advantage of the 36-year-old’s free-agent status to sign him on a short-term contract on Friday.
This followed a brief trial when Wes joined Head Coach Darren Moore and his first-team squad in training during the international break.
What he delivered in those sessions was enough to convince Darren the midfielder had plenty to offer and would provide a useful addition to Albion’s numbers.
“It’s been a long time since I had a trial,” laughed Wes, “but I am really grateful to the gaffer for the opportunity he offered me to come up and spend some time here.
“And it is a great opportunity for me to be back in the Championship with such a strong squad.
“I still feel I have plenty to offer. I retired from international football in March with the intention of kicking on and playing as many games as possible at club level.
“I’ve had a good summer’s rest and now I am really excited about playing again. To get the opportunity to do so with a club such as this one is fantastic for me.”
From his many games against the Baggies, Wes already has plenty of admirers among The Hawthorns faithful and he is hoping those numbers will swell still further as he turns his focus now to a fifth career promotion.
“There’s a lot of Premier League quality here and I would like to think the boys will be right in the thick of the promotion challenge,” said Wes.
"I feel in good shape and with plenty of football in me still. The days are gone now when players reached my age and were regarded as finished. You keep on top of things and with all the advances we benefit from now you can easily play into your late 30s.”