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CONFIRMED: Chris Baird follows Joleon Lescott and Craig Gardner at West Brom
WEST BROM have announced the signing of former Fulham, Reading and Burnley defender Chris Baird on a one-year contract.
The versatile 32-year-old was available on a free transfer after the expiry of a short-term deal at newly-promoted Burnley.
The Northern Ireland international is the Baggies' third signing of the summer after Joleon Lescott and Craig Gardner.
Head coach Alan Irvine admits one of reasons for signing Baird was for his ability to play in a number of positions.
He said: “I’d like to officially welcome Chris to the club.
He can play in several positions and his versatility effectively makes your squad bigger
“Chris is a player with vast Premier League and international experience who reads the game well and has good positional sense.
“He can play in several positions and his versatility effectively makes your squad bigger.
“It’s important we have the right characters in the dressing room and Chris is certainly that.
“We have done our homework on him. I have spoken to a lot of different people who have either managed or played with Chris and everyone spoke very, very highly of him both as a player and a person.”