West Brom in race for Ben Nelson signing amid Leicester City loan update
West Brom are one of five Championship clubs keen on signing Leicester City defender Ben Nelson on loan, according to Tom Collomosse.
The Daily Mail journalist posted on X (29 August) to report that “plenty of clubs” were looking at agreeing a loan deal for the 20-year-old before the transfer window slams shut on 30 August.
As well as the Albion; Oxford, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Swansea were all credited by Collomosse as potential destinations for Nelson, who made just eight first-team appearances for Leicester last season.
The Baggies are closing in on the re-signing of Mikey Johnston from Celtic, however the club are reportedly not planning on making further incomings in the wake of the Irishman’s £3million transfer [Lewis Cox, 29 August].
Do West Brom need to pursue Ben Nelson transfer?
Given he played just five times in the Championship last season – albeit in a side which eventually stormed to promotion and won the league title – Nelson isn’t exactly the most experienced of defenders.
The 20-year-old’s two loan moves away from Leicester the season prior came at Rochdale and Doncaster Rovers, both in League Two at the time, suggesting he’s still very much a work in progress.
An England youth international, Nelson is clearly rated highly by sides in England’s second tier, but Albion’s competition for his signature late in the transfer window does imply they could be aiming higher.
Oxford and Portsmouth are newly promoted from League One, while Sunderland and Swansea were hardly consistent promotion challengers last season – a far cry from Carlos Corberan’s Baggies side.
Adding another body to his defensive options would do the Spaniard no harm, but Corberan may be better suited pursuing different options on deadline day, with Nelson having no clear path to a first-team spot at The Hawthorns.
In other West Brom news, Shilen Patel could become persona-non-grata at The Hawthorns if one of the club’s brightest stars is sold.
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