HOEFKENS joined Albion in a £750,000 deal from Stoke City in August 2007 when he put pen to paper on a two-year deal, plus a year's option in the club's favour.

The right-back, who can also operate at centre-half, made his debut in Albion's 2-1 defeat at Burnley on the opening day of the season.

Hoefkens headed to these shores when he joined Stoke for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2005 and took little time adjusting to English football.

The Lier-born player capped a brilliant first season at the Britannia Stadium by bagging the Fans' Player-of- the-Year Award and making a clean sweep of supporters' end-of-season accolades.

Hoefkens was an integral part of the City side which narrowly failed to gatecrash the play-off places with a terrific end-of-season run during 2006/07.

He helped Stoke earn the Championship's best defensive record, conceding just 41 times, including an impressive 658-minute run without leaking a goal during November and December.

Hoefkens became renowned for his attacking outlook and excellent ball distribution during his two years in the Potteries and also boasted a 100 per cent record from the penalty spot.

In total, he made 96 appearances for Stoke, including three as a substitute, scoring five goals.

On the international front, Hoefkens is a fixture in the Belgium squad, winning his 21^st cap in a 2-1 Euro 2008 qualifying defeat by Portugal in June 2007.

His solitary goal for his country was a last-minute equaliser in a 3-3 friendly draw against Turkey in May 2006.

(UPDATED ON AUGUST 31, 2007)