Portsmouth's new academy signing James Hurst revealed he rejected Arsenal and Manchester United when weighing up his decision to quit West Brom.
"It's a club on the up. They're the FA Cup winners, a Premier League club with high status, a top-eight team. For me it's the place to be.
"There were others interested such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Villa but I would obviously get more of a first-team opportunity here than I would at the others so it made sense.
"It's a really good club and there's a new stadium and new training facilities on the way so it's going to be really exciting round here."