It was being reported yesterday evening that having failed to progress the James Tavernier deal from Rangers, West Bromwich Albion head coach Darren Moore was still adamant he wanted a new right-back this year and Crystal Palace’s Joel Ward had potentially become an option.
Although we failed to agree a fee with Rangers, it has been reported that we knew their price and were willing to meet it on a return offer, but the players own wage demands made us walk away from continuing negotiations.
If true, I’m not sure Ward would be asking for less given his own top-flight experience.
In any event, the E&S have reported out interest in the 28-year-old and they claim that with the emergence last season of Aaron Wan-Bissaka for Palace, Ward could be available on a loan deal before the end of the month, with speculation we’d be willing to spend £4million, ala Tavernier, on him if they’d deal then on a permanent basis if he settled in and impressed.
Right back is a clear go-to for us, we reportedly pulled out of a loan deal for Luton Town’s Jack Stacey, we saw a deal fall down for Tom James of Yeovil Town but this might be one to watch as Ward may not be spectacular, but he’s incredibly steady and plenty of Palace fans would miss him if he moved.
He’s become a firm favourite for his efforts since a £400,000 move from Portsmouth back in May 2012 and he has over 200 games for them under his belt since then. Over 300 in total in his career.
I’d certainly expect something to come off before the window closes for real.
