According to a recent report from The Daily Mirror, Aston Villa and West Brom are interested in a January move for Isaac Hayden. The 23-year-old currently plays his football at Premier League outfit Newcastle United and has done so since leaving Arsenal back in 2016, although a desire to move down south closer to his family has plunged his future at St James’ Park into doubt.

And reports suggest that Dean Smith’s Villa and Darren Moore’s Baggies are eyeing up a move for the midfielder this month, with the latter in need of beating the former to Hayden’s signature in a bid to bolster their promotion hopes in the second half of the season.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while Moore’s side won’t be short of goals heading into the second half of the campaign, given they are currently the division’s top scorers with 54 from their 26 games, they may need to tighten up defensively if they are to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.

The Baggies have shipped 34 goals in the Championship so far this term which is the joint-most alongside Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers of those sides in the top nine of the division, while their tally of just three clean sheets clearly needs improving if they are to remain in the promotion hunt.

And while the addition of Mason Holgate to the defensive ranks will no doubt help them in their quest to be better at the back, having a more defensive-minded midfielder just in front of the backline screening and protecting them certainly wouldn’t go amiss - Hayden appears to be the man for the job.

The 23-year-old may have struggled somewhat for regular football at Newcastle this term, but the midfielder more than proved his worth to the Magpies in the Championship back in 2016/17 with 33 appearances for the North East giants that term, thus playing a key role in helping Rafa Benitez’s men win the title.

And with that know-how in getting the job done in the second tier, the Englishman would add a great deal both on and off the pitch in aiding West Brom’s promotion charge, a charge that has somewhat lost momentum in recent weeks with a draw against Sheffield Wednesday and a 2-1 loss at Blackburn Rovers last time out.

Villa themselves have also shipped plenty of goals so far this term to suggest that they could do with greater guile and industry in the middle of the park, hence the interest in Hayden, but with the Baggies in a slightly better position in the division and right there in the promotion picture, a move to the Hawthorns may be of greater interest to Hayden.

And given how much he could benefit the Baggies in the second half of the campaign, West Brom simply have to beat Smith’s Villa to his signature in a bid to enhance their promotion hopes.

West Brom and Aston Villa fans… what do you think? Let us know!