West Bromwich Albion have completed the signing of defender Liam Ridgewell from Birmingham City for an undisclosed fee.
The 27-year-old has penned a two-and-a-half-year deal at the Hawthorns, with the option of an extra year.
Ridgewell is not eligible to play in West Brom's Premier League trip to Fulham on Wednesday.
"Liam is a very experienced defender and has the added benefit of being left-sided," said Baggies manager Roy Hodgson.
"We do not have many of those defenders at the club. He can also play in two positions [left-back and centre-back] and he is used to playing in teams under pressure to get results to stay in the league.
"We hope we won't be one of those teams under pressure," Hodgson added. "But if we are, it is good to have someone of that experience."
Ridgewell made 152 league appearances for Birmingham after joining from neighbours Aston Villa for £2m in August 2007.
But he made it clear last summer he wanted to leave the Blues after handing in a transfer request.
He helped Birmingham to Carling Cup success last season, but was keen to return to the Premier League following the Blues' relegation last May.