Gareth Barry: Premier League stalwart on verge of record after West Brom agreement

Everton’s former England midfielder had a medical at The Hawthorns yesterday and is poised to sign a one-year deal with the option of a further 12 months.

The 36-year-old is just five games away from overhauling Ryan Giggs’ milestone. He has made 628 Premier League appearances since making his debut at 17 – just four short of drawing level with Giggs.

But while the Manchester United legend clocked up all of his games at one club, Barry has had to move around.

His top-flight career has taken him to Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton and he has picked up 53 England caps along the way.

Baggies boss Tony Pulis has been hunting for a ready-made replacement for Darren Fletcher having been dealt a body blow when his skipper became a free agent in the summer and opted to join Stoke.

And the manager jumped at the chance to land Barry, a man with a cast-iron reputation for being one of the best professionals in the business.

The midfielder missed Everton’s opening game against Stoke at the weekend but the problem will not hold up the deal and Barry could even be fit to make his debut when West Brom face Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.

Everton boss Ronald Koeman would have liked to hold on to Barry but the club’s summer spending has made competition for places fierce at Goodison Park, and the expected arrival of Gylfi Sigurdsson from Swansea would have seen Barry fall even further down the pecking order.