West Brom came up trumps with £800k signing of man mountain | OneFootball

Jonas Olsson was a superb signing for West Brom.

From 2008 to 2018, West Bromwich Albion featured in the Premier League in all but one year.

Having secured promotion from the Championship in 2007-08, it was no surprise to see the Baggies making moves in the transfer market and the acquisition of Jonas Olsson has to go down as one of the best in this decade.

Picking him up late in the window, the dominating defender would go on to make over 250 appearances during his Albion career and remained a constant in an ever-changing team.

This is the story of those nine years at the Hawthorns and how Olsson became one of the best imports in West Brom's history.

Jonas Olsson - The 800k star

Deadline day 2008 saw West Brom pick up the defender from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, where he had made 104 appearances across three years.

It was reported that the Baggies paid around £800,000 to sign the centre back from the Eredivisie outfit, initially signing on a minimal two-year deal.

Quickly, he introduced himself to the fans and made his debut in a 3-2 win over West Ham United. While the continuation of that season didn't go to plan with the Baggies finishing rock bottom on 32 points, the following second-tier campaign would see them fight back.

Featuring at the heart of defence, the Swede would accrue 3800 minutes of football across 43 games as they secured promotion back to the top division at the first time of asking. During this season, the 6ft 5in defender would net four goals, including a double against Doncaster Rovers which helped his side come from 1-0 down to win 3-1.

Olsson's Premier League years

Heading back to the promised land of the Premier League, this time around the Baggies were prepared and aided thoroughly by Olsson's presence.

Under the guidance of various managers, including Roy Hodgson and Tony Pulis, the defender would help them to multiple mid-table finishes.

The 2012-13 season was a particular highlight of these years as Steve Clarke took the Midlands side to eighth place. This coincided with Olsson's most successful campaign, as he made 36 appearances in the Premier League, conceding just 53 goals in that period. In addition, Clarke often entrusted him with the captaincy, and he helped lead the side to a famous win against Chelsea early in that season.

The defender also had the added bonus of being involved in Sir Alex Ferguson's final game in charge of Manchester United, where his West Brom side drew 5-5 in a crazy game.

While many suspected the 2014 and 2015 signings of Joleon Lescott and Jonny Evans respectively would force him out of the side, Olsson maintained his presence around the starting XI and continued to do a job when called upon.

His final year at the club in 2016-17 was when the then 33-year-old finally slowed down, with Pulis preferring a partnership of Evans and Gareth McAuley. That year saw him make just nine first-team appearances, and he played his final game for the club in a woeful 4-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite this harrowing end, his nine years at the club put him down as a willing servant and, for £800,000, it was a deal well worth the money.