'Albion is the perfect place for me' - Ryan Mason's first words as new West Brom boss

The 33-year-old has swapped Spurs for the Baggies and in doing so becomes the club's youngest permanent manager or head coach appointment since the great Fred Everiss, who was appointed secretary-manager aged 20, in 1902.

Mason, the former Spurs and England midfielder, has signed a three-year deal at The Hawthorns, where he brings coaching duo Nigel Gibbs and Sam Pooley to his backroom team.

He was out of contract in north London this month and a deal was thrashed out once the Baggies reached out to Spurs last week.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to have been appointed head coach of West Bromwich Albion," said Mason, who was a target of Albion's hierarchy in January when they appointed Tony Mowbray.

"This is a huge club with a fantastic infrastructure and an incredible fan base and I am excited about what we can achieve together.

"Having spoken at length to the board and those at the club I am convinced that Albion is the perfect place for me to be and I can't wait to get started.

"I will bring with me a huge amount of enthusiasm, dedication and look forward to a positive future together at such a fantastic club."

The Spurs academy graduate, who retired early aged 26 due to a head injury, cites Mauricio Pochettino as inspiration in his coaching.

The Argentine gave Mason his first opportunity in Spurs' senior reckoning and remained an influence on the midfielder as he transitioned from playing to coaching following the fractured skull he suffered playing for Hull at Chelsea in January 2017.

Mason has taken charge of Spurs as caretaker boss on two occasions, in 2021 and 2023. He followed Jose Mourinho in the former and his second game at the helm was the League Cup final 1-0 defeat to Manchester City. Mason became the youngest person to manage a Premier League fixture at 29.

The second time around, two years later, he followed Italian Antonio Conte's exit. Mason won six of his 13 games at the helm.

He was Ange Postecoglou's assistant head coach as Spurs toiled to a 17th-placed finish this season but ended the campaign on a bright note, with Europa League glory against Manchester United.