West Bromwich Albion enjoyed a lengthy stint in the Premier League following their promotion in 2010 under Roberto Di Matteo before Steve Clarke took over.

The Scotsman replace the future Champions League-winning boss with little experience, having only been a caretaker manager at Newcastle United at that point along with various stints as an assistant, but he led the Baggies to one of their best finishes in recent history.

Adding some shrewd signings, including the deal to bring in Romelu Lukaku on loan, Albion finished eighth in 2012/13 – their highest placing since the Premier League began.

Whilst the Belgian marksman stole many of the headlines for their transfer business, as he scored 17 goals and set up a further seven in that campaign, Claudio Yacob arguably had a far greater impact on the club, having joined in that same summer.

Arriving on a free transfer in 2012, the Argentine midfielder would become a mainstay across the various managers who would come and go in The Hawthorns' hot seat.

The 35-year-old went on to feature 175 times for the Midlands club and earned a reputation for adding a physicality to their engine room, along with a stability that arguably only Gareth Barry replicated when he joined in 2017.

It is no surprise that this came just a year before Yacob left in 2018 and is a testament to his pedigree that only a Premier League legend like Barry could replace him.

During the 2015/16 campaign, which is the earliest recorded Sofascore data for his tenure in the Premier League, the Argentine boasted a 6.91 average rating despite a 14th-placed finish for West Brom, averaging 3.4 interceptions, 3.2 tackles and two clearances per game (via Sofascore).

This was indicative of his entire career in the Midlands, where he became an ever-reliable stalwart. 

Indeed, during Yacob's time at the club, ex-Baggies team-mate Salomon Rondon was full of praise for the midfielder, claiming: “Claudio is a very good man and a superb player. He is very important for Albion, he has been at the club for a long time and is a key player."

It is clear that, given the Argentine's modest price tag, combined with his immense stature and longevity at the club, Clarke struck gold with this deal back in 2012. The now 35-year-old was arguably the most important signing of that summer's transfer window for West Brom.