West Brom struck gold with £0 signing - he anchored the Baggies' midfield for years | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion made some excellent transfers during their time in the Premier League

West Bromwich Albion made some excellent transfers during the late 2000s and early 2010s, a period which saw them create the foundations for a healthy eight-year stint in the top-flight.

Players such as Peter Odemwingie, Jonas Olsson and Chris Brunt were all brought to the Hawthorns around that time and were pioneers of the side that established themselves as Premier League regulars once more.

The Baggies were exciting, expansive and ambitious, looking to break through pre-existing boundaries to push towards the top of English football.

Perhaps a less remembered, but equally important component of that West Brom team joined the Black Country outfit on a free and left an impact on the Hawthorns’ faithful that is still felt to this day.

Claudio Yacob was a smash hit for West Bromwich Albion

In the summer of 2012, West Brom had just come off their second season back in the top-flight, where they had finished tenth and just five points behind Liverpool in eighth.

Steve Clarke had been handed the manager job after Roy Hodgson departed to take over the England national team and focus swiftly turned to the transfer market.

Premier League clubs didn’t enjoy as much financial might back then as they do now, especially those outside of the traditional big six, which meant that the Baggies still had to be shrewd in their business.

Turning to the free agent market, the Black Country outfit decided to sign Argentinian midfielder Claudio Yacob following his departure from his boyhood side Racing Club.

Yacob adapted to English football immediately, providing a crucial layer of defence in front of the Baggies' backline, sweeping up the ball and making sure that the engine room remained pumping.

The South American operator didn’t possess the flair of some of his other countrymen, but he knew what his role was and carried it out to perfection.

He made 30 top-flight appearances during his debut campaign with West Brom as they pushed even higher up the Premier League table, recording an excellent eighth-place finish.

The resulting years didn’t bring such success in the league, with Albion fighting to retain their place in the division instead, but Yacob still featured throughout and didn’t let his performance levels slip one iota.

2016/17 was a return to the top half of the Premier League for the Baggies, with the Argentine featuring 33 times after signing a two-year contract extension that summer.

His final season with West Brom ended in relegation, which was a disappointing way to end their time together after such a memorable run.

Yacob would remain in English football, but with Nottingham Forest, signalling the climax of one of Albion’s best transfer coups this century.

Claudio Yacob embodied West Bromwich Albion’s Premier League success

Yacob played for West Brom during a time when they were Premier League regulars, a residency he helped to maintain, and is one of the operators who perfectly sums up everything that made them great around that time.

Hard work, determination and a drive to fight tirelessly is what the Argentine brought to the table, and those attitudes could be found throughout the Baggies’ squad.

The Black Country Outfit never enjoyed a ginormous budget; in fact, the summer that Yacob moved to the Hawthorns, they only forked out a transfer fee for one player, a modest £4 million for Ben Foster’s services.

When West Brom supporters reflect on that brilliant period for their club, Yacob won’t be too far away from those positive thoughts, and that summarises just how much of an impact he left on the club.