Albion have completed the signing of two exciting young Argentinian midfielders on Bosman free transfers.
The duo have both agreed one-year deals after Gus Poyet spotted them playing for Comunicaciones during his recent scouting trip to South America.
Twenty-year-old central midfielder Agustin Battipiedi is a product of the youth academy at Comunicaciones, while 23-year-old left-sided midfielder Cristian Baz, who can also play in attack, was on the books at San Lorenzo and Boca Juniors as a youngster.
Poyet said, "We've given these two boys the chance to earn a place in European football. That gives us the reassurance that they are going to give us 100 per cent every day.
"They are delighted to be here, and they want to play football. We had information about them, but we wanted to see them in action and we had the chance to see them a couple of times while we were in Argentina.
"Batti is a central-midfielder who will bring plenty of quality on the ball, but is also very hard working.
"Chino (Baz) can play wide-left or as a second striker. If we play the kind of football we played last year, and get the ball to him in the right areas, I think he will be a terrific asset for the squad.
"They both need to fight for their places and they need to adapt to being in England, but I know that they both understand the way that we want to play, and that they can help us."
Battipiedi and Baz passed their medicals this morning while other members of the squad were undergoing individual testing on the training pitch. They will join the rest of the squad tomorrow morning when Poyet begins to put the players through their paces for real.
Meanwhile, 35-year-old Bulgarian international and former Charlton midfielder Radostin Kishishev will train with the squad for the next fortnight.
Poyet explained, "Kishishev was at Leeds while I was there and was outstanding. He's willing to come and train with us, he has lots of experience, and the way that he behaves, trains and plays, it would not surprise me if we tried to keep him for longer."
