New West Bromwich Albion boss Alan Irvine was in upbeat mood after England goalkeeper Ben Foster signed a new contract keeping him with the Premier League club on a four-year deal on Tuesday.
Meanwhile defender Andre Wisdom has joined on a season-long loan from Liverpool.
The 31-year-old Foster joined Albion in 2011, initially on-loan from near neighbours Birmingham, before completing a permanent £6 million ($10 million) move in 2012.
“This is fantastic news for everyone connected with the club as Ben’s an extremely important player for us — both on and off the pitch,” Irvine said.
“He’s a great personality, a great character and leads by example,” he added. “This is a magnificent signing for the club.
“Ben is one of the best keepers in the country, which he showed when he played really well for England against Costa Rica at the World Cup,” added Irvine after he reflected on Foster’s performance in a goalless draw, the team’s best result of a disappointing display in Brazil where they lost to both Italy and Uruguay.
Wisdom has become Albion’s sixth pre-season signing, with the England Under-21 international able to play at either right-back or centre-back.
The 21-year-old scored on his Liverpool debut in a 5-3 Europa League victory over Swiss side Young Boys in September 2012, going on to make a further 18 appearances that season.
Wisdom made three more appearances at the start of last season then joined Derby on loan for the rest of the campaign, starting 38 games, including the Championship play-off final defeat by Queens Park Rangers.
Irvine said he had been encouraged to sign Wisdom after talking to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
“He said Andre would do a good job for us. That was reassuring. Brendan spoke very, very highly about him.”