West Brom interest in Brighton hot-shot could spell bad news for Aston Villa transfer agreement | OneFootball

West Brom's interest in Amario Cozier-Duberry could spell bad news for Samuel Iling-Junior, who has struggled since his arrival from Aston Villa.

The recruitment team at West Brom will already be counting down the days until the January window as they look to strengthen Ryan Mason’s squad, with the Baggies yet to display promotion-standard form in the Championship this season.

The rookie boss has had a mixed life to start at The Hawthorns, with the team sitting in the bottom half of the Championship, although they are only four points away from the play-off places.

So, it’s not all bad news for Albion, but they are facing some glaring issues, which include a lack of creativity and spark in the final third. Isaac Price enjoyed a blistering goalscoring start but has faded in recent times, while divisive winger Mikey Johnston is often a livewire - but concerns remain over the starlet's consistency and end product.

West Brom must do all they can to secure Amario Cozier-Duberry, Brighton deal

Mason’s side have managed just 14 goals in 15 games, and they rank 20th for xG in the entire division, which demonstrates that they aren’t creating enough.

Of course, there are a range of factors for that, but many would agree that they simply lack quality where it matters, and the sale of Tom Fellows to Southampton has left Albion with a relatively one-paced attack.

Therefore, a priority has to be to add someone with energy, drive and the ability to carry the ball up the pitch — which means links to Brighton’s Amario Cozier-Duberry are hugely encouraging.

The 20-year-old is currently on loan at Bolton from the Seagulls, but it has been apparent in the opening months of the League One season that he is a class above that level.

A return of six goals and six assists in 15 games is very impressive, but that doesn’t tell the whole story, as Cozier-Duberry has produced some magic moments and he has quickly established himself as a key figure for the Trotters, who are firmly in the promotion mix. With a penchant for scoring from range — particularly late on in games — coupled with his speed and trickery out wide, Cozier-Duberry appears every bit capable of stepping up to the Championship if given the opportunity.

Worryingly for Bolton, Brighton have a recall clause in the New Year, and with a host of Championship clubs tracking the youngster, you would expect they want the player to be tested against better players. It should be noted that Brighton reportedly have no intention of recalling the ex-Arsenal prodigy just yet, although equally, there are no guarantees that the Seagulls' stance will not change as we move closer towards January.

Samuel Iling-Junior has failed to live up to expectations at West Brom so far

If Albion do manage to bring in Cozier-Duberry, it’s likely to restrict Samuel Iling-Junior’s game time, but he simply hasn’t done enough since his arrival from Aston Villa on loan in the summer.

A fine individual effort against Leicester gave a glimpse of what the former Juventus man is capable of, yet he hasn’t managed to maintain that form moving forward. At the moment, that’s his only goal contribution in a Baggies shirt from ten league appearances.

Mason would’ve wanted more from the wide man, and even though he has moved him into different roles, Iling-Junior has remained ineffective, which is the bigger concern.

With the struggles that Albion have had, Iling-Junior and all the Albion attack will know their positions are potentially under threat, but the saving grace is that there is time for him to turn things around.

Clearly, given his CV, Iling-Junior is a player who has ability, with different clubs and coaches having seen enough to take a chance on him over the past few years, but he hasn’t delivered on that potential just yet.

So, the pressure is on for Iling-Junior right now, and he must show that he can transform this weak West Brom forward line.

If he can’t, it seems inevitable that Albion will be in the market for at least one attacker, and Iling-Junior could get knocked down the pecking order and struggle for minutes.

On paper, Cozier-Duberry would look like a major upgrade given the way he has performed, and he could represent a significant coup for West Brom