‘I’m hearing…’ – Exclusive: Pundit shares verdict on AMN position ahead of West Brom v Spurs
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips is intrigued to see where Sam Allardyce will play Ainsley Maitland-Niles when West Brom play away at Tottenham on Sunday.
Maitland-Niles, 23, joined the Albion on loan from Arsenal on transfer deadline day amid a flurry of late interest from elsewhere in the Premier League.
The young England international is now set for an instant return to North London when Sam Allardyce’s men take on Jose Mourinho’s Spurs this weekend.
Ex-West Brom striker Phillips is delighted by the signing of Maitland-Niles but has no idea where he fits into the team.
“First and foremost, it’s brilliant that Maitland-Niles has come to West Brom to fight in a relegation battle so credit to the player,” Phillips told West Brom News.
“He could have gone to Southampton who are comfortable in mid-table but probably wouldn’t have got the minutes he would have liked.
“He’s a good player, he’s an England international who’s got good attributes. I’m just intrigued about where Big Sam’s going to play him. That would be my only question.
“I’m hearing that his preferred position is in midfield and obviously the other lad who’s come in (Okay Yokuslu) is a midfield player as well.
“I’ve said all along that I’d be looking at a centre-half with the goals they’re conceding. An average of two every game is stinking so they’re crying out for a centre-half.
“Nevertheless, Maitland-Niles is an experienced Premier League player at such a young age and he brings great qualities but I’m more interested in seeing where he’s played.
“Will he be in the holding midfield role and Livermore or Sawyers drops out and the two new signings come in? I’m really intrigued to see what Allardyce does against Tottenham on Sunday.”
Maitland-Niles wasn’t available to make his debut on Tuesday night when West Brom lost 2-1 to Sheffield United but it seems as though he’s likely to be involved on Sunday at Tottenham.
Every match between now and the end of the season should be treated as a must-win by the Baggies if they want to avoid relegation back to the Championship and that means Big Sam has to play his strongest starting line-up all the time.
It remains to be seen if he views Maitland-Niles as one of his strongest players but we doubt that Arsenal would have sent their promising England international on loan to the Black Country unless they knew he’d be playing.
Based on what Phillips has heard, AMN is likely to be playing in the midfield but who he comes in for, and who he plays alongside, is going to be a big talking point in the coming days.
In other West Brom news, this Albion player is set to be offered a £15,000-a-week contract by a manager who loves him.
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