Cristian Gamboa becomes third Tico in English Premier League after signing with West Brom

LONDON — English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday announced the signing of Costa Rican right-back Cristian Gamboa.

Gamboa, 24, played in all five matches as Costa Rica made a stunning run to the quarterfinals in Brazil before losing on penalties to the Netherlands. He’s now the third Costa Rican currently with a Premier League team. Gamboa joins a West Brom club that was one of the worst in the league last season.

The other Ticos in the Premier League are Joel Campbell of Arsenal and Bryan Oviedo of Everton.

Gamboa has signed for an undisclosed fee after playing last season for Norwegian side Rosenborg. He penned a three-year deal with West Brom after the Football Association approved his application for a work permit.

“Cristian is a player I was extremely impressed by during the World Cup,” said West Brom manager Alan Irvine. “We faced stiff competition from other Premier League clubs for his services, but we’ve managed to convince Cristian that West Bromwich Albion is the best club for him to join.

“Cristian is a quick, aggressive defender with good energy levels. He gets up and down the pitch really well and we believe he will continue to improve.”

Having avoided relegation by three points last season, West Brom open their 2014-15 campaign at home to Sunderland a week from Saturday.