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The race is on to secure Ainsley Maitland-Niles before tomorrow night’s transfer deadline and West Brom need to ensure they’re at the front of the queue as their relegation battle took another blow on Saturday afternoon…

What’s the word?

According to the Mirror’s chief football writer John Cross, Albion are among several Premier League teams chasing the 23-year-old midfielder on loan, though the competition is fierce with the likes of Leicester City, Southampton and Newcastle United all keen too.

The versatile Gunners ace is a player that Baggies boss Sam Allardyce would love to secure in the next 24 hours, he told reporters after their 2-2 draw with Fulham: “We’d love one to be Maitland-Niles, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case.”

It is also thought that Maitland-Niles himself prefers a move to the Hawthorns as the top-flight strugglers can offer him the most game time ahead of the Euros this summer, as per Sky Sports.

Go get him!

If the player wants it, and the manager wants it, then this could be pretty straight forward.

West Brom only have one more domestic loan spot available and the three-time England international is the perfect option to fill it as he’s vastly versatile and he should be well within their budget given he’s only earning a reported £35k-per-week at the Emirates, which is less than Kieran Gibbs (£55k-per-week), Jake Livermore (£46k-per-week) and Branislav Ivanovic (£38k-per-week), as per Spotrac.

Speaking in his Daily Mail column, BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton lauded Maitland-Niles a ‘diamond’ as his ‘versatility is a weapon.’

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-west-brom-news-and-transfer-rumours” title=”Read this week’s latest West Brom news, transfer rumours and more…”]

Indeed, the 23-year-old has played a grand total of seven positions across 223 career appearances, primarily playing in central midfield and at full-back -arguably two positions the Baggies are weakest right now.

Both Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers have struggled centrally, averaging the two worst WhoScored ratings of any Albion regular, whilst Gibbs is thought to have already angered Big Sam, while he’s yet to settle on Dara O’Shea or Darnell Furlong at right-back.

Maitland-Niles can fill either of those roles with his energy and work-rate constantly praised by many onlookers.

Peter Crouch told BT Sport (via the Metro) that he thinks the Arsenal man is “tremendous,” adding: “He’s got energy and he’s calm on the ball. He was full of confidence.”

Which echoed the thoughts of fellow pundit Martin Keown who dubbed him a “Rolls-Royce of a player at times.”

The 23-year-old self-proclaimed “workhorse” would be fine and much-needed addition before the deadline. As seen above, if everyone is keen on this late move happening, then it’s absolutely a no-brainer for all parties.

AND in other news, Exclusive: West Brom backed to seal PL striker before deadline

Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, Steve Howey has delivered his verdict on Kalvin Phillips’ injury blow for Leeds United.

The England international was forced off in Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace last time out in the Premier League, with the midfielder initially seeming to go down with a calf problem.

And, ahead of the Whites’ clash against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, Bielsa confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Phillips is a doubt for the game, but that no decision has been made just yet.

When asked about how big of a blow Phillips’ absence would be for Bielsa, former Newcastle defender Howey admitted: “Huge. Again, this is probably the third time we’ve said that it’s another opportunity for someone else to come in and grab their chance.

“With him, I’ve seen him make his debut and thought ‘decent, but what’s all the fuss about?’. But I hadn’t really watched him so my mind wasn’t made up. I’m hearing people say how good he is, and I had the opportunity to see him at Everton against Leeds.

“He was absolutely superb. Gareth Southgate was there and I spoke to him before the game, and I’ve seen him at another game and said to him afterwards ‘Wow, he was good. I can totally understand where you’re coming from getting him in the England squad’. And he said ‘He was good wasn’t he? He ran the show.’ He was absolutely brilliant and he’s a very, very impressive young man.”

Phillips has been an ever-present for Bielsa in Leeds’ return to the Premier League, missing just four games in the top-flight, and even that was down to injury.

He makes the Whites tick in the engine room, and his ability to be an anchor on defence, and still have the quality to move things forward with his range of passing means he’s the kind of player that Leeds will always struggle to replace.

He features highly when it comes to his influence on this Leeds side, ranking first for tackles made (2.7 per game), fourth for interceptions (1.6), fourth for key passes (1.3), and top for crosses (1.2) – a player who’s involved as much as Phillips is, makes it that much more difficult for his manager to try and replace.

The £18m-rated star would no doubt be a major miss for Bielsa if he were to be ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Gunners.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign their next Stuart Dallas in this ace…

The 19-year-old penned a new deal until 2022 back in January, with there seemingly being belief from the club that he can potentially work his way into the first team.

After Mourinho’s teasing message, one could assume he is one of the many promising youngsters to keep an eye on in north London.

In other news: Tottenham have joined the race for this ‘special’ £120,000-per-week star, find out more here.

According to Eurosport, Aston Villa are leading the race to sign Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge.

What’s the story?

Despite strengthening the centre of midfield in the January transfer window with the arrival of Morgan Sanson, it appears Dean Smith is keen on further revamping his options in the middle of the park.

According to Eurosport, Villa are one of the clubs to keep a keen eye on Berge’s situation with the Blades, with the Norway international potentially becoming available if Chris Wilder’s men get relegated from the Premier League this season.

The report adds that Villa are the “early favourites” to land the £16.2m-rated star’s signature.

Could be a Lange masterstroke

Given how Sheffield United are rooted to the bottom of the table and are on a way-ticket to relegation back to the Championship, targeting players from the Blades seems like the shrewd move to make.

The Blades may be forced into selling some of their star players who are intent on playing Premier League football, and Villa’s sporting director, Johan Lange could take advantage of that by making a move for Berge.

And given his potential availability and style of play, Berge seems like he could be a very good signing for Villa.

Taste of Football wrote in their analytical report about him: “On multiple occasions, he is seen skipping past the opposition, either with a flick around the corner or an elegant dribble. Hardly what you expect from such a giant in midfield. Berge also has finesse to his game. Reminiscent of a young Sergio Busquets, a testament to how easy he makes the game look.”

And, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s assistant, Albert Stuivenberg, said about him: “He is already very mature. He is intelligent, reads the game well, and takes the initiative. He has the potential to become a future leader.”

If Lange can fend off the competition and seal a deal for Berge, it could be a masterstroke.

Many Aston Villa fans are loving an “exceptional” statistic which has been revealed and also retweeted by The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans highlighting how good they have been this season.

The stat was originally from @WhoScored, before Evans also tweeted his opinion. It shows that, in 11 of their 12 wins in the Premier League this season, they have kept a clean sheet. The exception was their 7-2 romp over Liverpool in October.

The club have the second-most clean sheets in the division with 13 (Premier League) and this was already a remarkable achievement based on the fact that they barely stayed in the division last year.

However, it is even more amazing to see how efficient they are at keeping hold of a victory, and it is testament to the defence and goalkeeper as well as John Terry, who has clearly improved massively as a defensive coach.

Hopefully this remarkable feat continues and, if it does, then there is no doubt they could finish in the top half, or even perhaps manage to end up in a European spot.

Here is how Villa fans reacted to the stat:

“This is fantastic, but also shows that when we go behind we never recover. We’ve picked up 2 points in the last 19 games we’ve gone behind. Our last comeback win was Watford 14 months ago. Bit of a mental block we need to overcome soon!”

Credit: @notawelshsinger

“Exceptional! we have come so far in such a short space of time”

Credit: @lockleyps3

“Quite a remarkable statistic!”

Credit: @TheVillaHome

“Wow.”

Credit: @futurefilm1

“Pretty remarkable this”

Credit: @Liam_ODwyer

“I love a good stat and this is a real good one”

Credit: @SteG613

In other news, some Villa fans discussed one player who impressed against Leeds

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 280 Premier League appearances, believes Kevin De Bruyne is as good as anyone else in the world at the moment.

Last season’s Premier League Player of the Year had been out for a number of weeks which coincided with Man City continuing to impress and breezing past teams with ease on a 21-match winning run.

De Bruyne’s quality on the ball is unquestionable, but with City going from having an almost unbeatable solid defence to keeping one clean sheet in the Belgian’s starts since returning from injury, it has raised a few questions.

A story was published in The Athletic which looked at De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva and how both have performed in that role of controlling the game for Pep Guardiola’s side.

However, Lee believes there is no chance that Pep drops the man he has built the City team around and has carried them through so many games.

“No way,” was Lee’s response to FFC when asked if he could see De Bruyne being benched.

He added: “De Bruyne is on a par with anybody in the world at this moment in time, he’s as good as anybody. I genuinely mean that, he’s as effective as Ronaldo and Messi.

“They’re a much better team when De Bruyne plays. He seems to be all over the park. He scores and creates more goals than anybody else.

“When he gets the ball you think he’s gonna do something whether he’s 18 yards from goal or whether he’s 10 yards from goal. He’s deceptively quick as well.”

Even when City look sluggish and off the pace, De Bruyne is able to create something out of nothing, which makes City even more terrifying for other teams.

The Belgian seems to be integral to everything Pep wants to do at City, so to drop his main man would be ludicrous to most people.

Several Aston Villa fans have been reacting to the club’s official social media post regarding winger Bertrand Traore.

The 25-year-old, who arrived from Lyon back in September in a deal worth £17m, earned an 18th league start in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Friday evening.

Traore’s early injury

However, unfortunately, Traore had to be replaced after just 21 minutes for Anwar El Ghazi.

Traore was shoulder barged by Newcastle defender Paul Dummett, with the Burkina Faso international ending up over the advertising board and crashing into the first set of barriers.

Two members of Villa’s medical staff checked on the wide man, who was holding his left side as a result. He managed to walk back to the away dugout but couldn’t carry on, with many fans left worried following the incident.

Villa fans react

Villa tweeted a picture of Traore on Saturday morning with the caption ‘Speedy recovery, Bert.’

This is what these Villa supporters had to say to the official post, with one describing the incident as ‘painful’.

“Dont tweet this and not tell us what he’s done?”

Credit: @Dr_coxy

“Looked very much like a broken rib last night, such a tricky injury to deal with. Get well soon Bertie”

Credit: @JackJenningss_

“Let’s hope we get to see him play again before 2025”

Credit: @Connor__AVFC

“Looked like broken ribs, hopefully not. One of our few bits of genuine quality”

Credit: @B6Utfv

“Hopefully he is back before his contract runs out”

Credit: @12cw04

“That looked really painful. I hope you are back soon.”

Credit: @FreyaSavidge

In other news: Villa learn price for 23 y/o target, find out more here.

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that Heung-Min Son’s injury is a massive blow for Tottenham.

Son, whose been in outstanding goalscoring form this term, netting 18 times in all competitions, sustained a hamstring problem during Spurs’ defeat at rivals Arsenal on Sunday and was forced off after just 19 minutes.

However, Son’s injury would appear not as bad as first feared, and whilst Jose Mourinho confirmed the South Korean will miss Tottenham’s Europa League tie in Zagreb tonight, the Spurs boss admitted there’s a possibility he could return for the trip to Aston Villa on Sunday, if not after the international break.

With Son’s replacement Erik Lamela, who scored a wonderful Rabona to put Tottenham ahead, now suspended having been sent off in the second-half, Spurs cannot afford to lose the attacker with crucial Europa League and Premier League games coming up, plus next month’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, but the problem doesn’t appear serious.

Windass told Football FanCast: “Well, it’s massive isn’t it. Depending on how significant it is, he could be out for a few weeks, so it’s a massive blow to Tottenham.

“I said before Arsenal they will get in the top-four, but I will question it with all of the injuries they’ve got.”

Gareth Bale’s return to form has been a bonus for Mourinho, but Son’s potential absence cannot be taken lightly. Whilst Harry Kane has often taken the plaudits for his remarkable goal and assist record this season, the winger’s been equally as important for Tottenham.

On a more positive note, the international break at the end of this month could work in Spurs’ favour.

It is fair to say that Kelechi Iheanacho’s renaissance at Leicester City has been a remarkable one.

Previously just an under-study to Jamie Vardy at the King Power Stadium, the Nigerian has burst into life in recent months, netting a remarkable nine goals in as many games in all competitions since the start of February.

His form is certainly all the more surprising considering that as recently as August 2020, the striker was being linked with a move away from the East Midlands, with Fenerbahce interested in his services, according to Fotospor.

Rodgers’ decision not to sell the £13.5m-rated striker and instead put faith in him appears to be one that is reaping rewards for not only Iheanacho but also The Foxes.

Now on 12 goals for the campaign following his brace against Manchester United in the FA Cup, the Nigerian is in the midst of his second-most productive season of his career. He only needs a further two strikes to match his 14-goal haul of his breakout season at Manchester City.

His record this season is all the more eye-catching considering that during the two seasons following his move to the East Midlands from the Etihad Stadium, he only notched 11 strikes.

Iheanacho’s hot form though is once again down to Rodgers’ renewed faith in the striker.

Having made just 16 starts in all competitions for The Foxes last season, he now looks sure to surpass that figure this time around having started four consecutive Premier League matches for the first time this year.

In that time, he has scored five league goals alone.

Rodgers’ gamble on Iheanacho has plenty of praise too.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Dean Windass labelled the Northern-Irishman’s show of faith as “unbelievable” and also said of the player that “his attitude has been spot on”.

Rodgers’ decision to not only keep the striker but also play him regularly has been rewarded with his stunning recent run and has justified his choice to keep him back when he could have moved to Turkey.

AND in more news, take a closer look at the Nigerian’s fantastic performance against Man Utd in the FA Cup…

The Scotland national team have confirmed Glasgow Rangers’ Ryan Jack has had to pull out of the squad due to injury.

Jack injured

It was a surprise to see the midfielder called up by Steve Clarke in the first place considering he has not played for the Gers since February 21st (Transfermarkt).

Now, though, it is clear he is no position to play for his country or his club right now, and he has therefore withdrawn from international duty on this occasion.

Blow for Scotland and Rangers

Clarke will no doubt be disappointed to lose the £2.7m-valued former Aberdeen man (Transfermarkt). In his 10 caps, the Tartan Army have prevailed six times, drawn once and lost on three occasions, and they have been defeated just once with him in the starting line-up in the last seven fixtures.

Steven Gerrard, too, will be far from happy with this news. While the 29-year-old has made 24 appearances in all competitions this campaign for the 55-time Scottish champions, he has already suffered knee and calf issues that have kept him out for sustained periods. With the Premiership title now wrapped up, Gerrard may well have been hoping to give some playing time to a man he called “fantastic” earlier this term (via The Glasgow Times), but that looks like it may no longer be possible.

In other news, this man has been tipped to be Rangers’ Player of the Year.