Davies opts to stay at West Brom

The West Bromwich Albion defender Curtis Davies has signed a new four-year contract extension at The Hawthorns which should end the interest of a host of clubs keen to sign him, including Arsenal, Spurs and Portsmouth.

The 21-year-old, a £3m buy from Luton Town in August last year, earned rave reviews despite Albion's relegation from the Premiership at the end of 2005-06, and during the summer has been the subject of a rejected £8.5m bid from Wigan while the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, and Tottenham's Martin Jol have also confirmed their interest in the player.

Davies' previous contract was not due to expire for another three years but his new and improved deal will keep him at the club until the summer of 2010.

The Albion manager, Bryan Robson, said: "This is great news for the club. Curtis was obviously disappointed about being relegated but he has underlined his character by showing he is willing to fight for the club and try to help us get promoted.

"We felt after the way he performed last season he deserved the reward of a new contract. The fact he has signed means he is now fully focused on trying to get the Albion back up."

The Baggies chairman, Jeremy Peace, said: "We've stated on countless occasions we aim to strengthen the squad - not dismantle it. We want to get back up to the Premier League as soon as possible and establish ourselves at that level - and Curtis has a big part to play in us achieving that."