WATFORD will have a more experienced look to them next season after 35-year-old Mart Poom became Aidy Boothroyd's latest summer signing.

The Estonia number one decided to hop over the fence at London Colney and join the Hornets last week in search of regular first-team football. Poom has started just one league game in the last 14 months and that came on the final day of the 2006/07 Premiership season against Portsmouth.

The seasoned Poom becomes the second old head signed by Boothroyd in the space of seven days, coming on the back of the capture of 35-year-old Matt Jackson from Wigan Athletic earlier last week.

Poom will go head-to-head with Richard Lee for the jersey vacated by the departure of Ben Foster, the England keeper who returned to Manchester United after his second season-long loan at Vicarage Road came to an end.

"Mart's signing brings us a calming steadying influence in what is a key position, and he obviously has to fight with Richard Lee for the place," said Boothroyd.

"Every team needs a balance between the soldiers and artists and every team needs a balance between the elder statesmen and the younger bucks.

"He's a terrific goalkeeper with a wonderful pedigree and I think he will be a great signing for us.

"He's been at Derby, Sunderland and Arsenal, and his age is no factor - it's just a number.

"He's a terrific specimen and he's not played for a year which will make him fresher still.

"He's got that spring you look for in a keeper, and I think he'll be a terrific acqusition," the Watford manager added.

Poom joined the Gunners from Sunderland in August 2005 initially on loan, but signed a permanent deal in January 2006.

However, he has failed to displace Jens Lehmann and was set to fall further down the pecking order next season following the arrival of Lukasz Fabianski, the Polish international.

"I had one year left on my Arsenal contract," said Poom. "But I was effectively third-choice goalkeeper and I wasn't getting enough playing time. I still have ambitions to play regularly."

Poom has 75 international caps for his country and he will be looking to stop Steve McClaren's mis-firing England team in the European Championship qualifier next Wednesday.

"It's strange because I've played more international games for Estonia than I have for Arsenal," said Poom.

"I haven't played regularly for a club for three seasons, because in my last year at Sunderland I had injury problems after having three operations.

"I want to test myself and I want to play for as long as possible. I haven't set a date on when I'm going to stop playing.

"I've missed a lot of football over the last few years due to injury and I'm still hungry to play and to improve as a goalkeeper."

Despite playing just two games for Arsenal - the other came in the Carling Cup against Everton in November last year - Poom has no regrets over moving to the Emirates Stadium.

"I'm still proud to be the first Estonian to have been part of such a big club.

"I want to thank Arsene Wenger for taking a chance on me after the injury problems I had at Sunderland.

"I really enjoyed myself, apart from obviously not playing more games."