Baggies interest in Socceroos World Cup star Davidson intensifies

West Bromwich Albion, 13/5 with Coral to be relegated, have held talks with Australia international and World Cup star Jason Davidson with a view to bringing him to The Hawthorns.

The 23-year old has been capped 10 times for the Socceroos, and appeared in all three of their group games in Brazil. Davidson was a rising star in Portugal with Sporting Covilha, and quickly earned a move to Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. An ankle injury limited his opportunities in Germany, but he got back on track in the Netherlands, and has also attracted interest from Championship club Fulham.

Davidson was out of contract, following a two-season spell with Dutch side Heracles Almelo, but will need to be bought out since they activated a one-year extension clause.

Albion are without a senior left back after Liam Ridgewell was released at the end of last term. They have also been linked with another player in the same position in ex-Manchester United and Sunderland man Kieran Richardson.

New head coach Alan Irvine has already made three signings this summer, with Joleon Lescott, Craig Gardner and Chris Baird all coming to The Hawthorns. Lescott is a particularly high-profile signing. The centre half might have been a squad player last term, but he still made 107 appearances for Manchester City over the last five years. Former England international Lescott could be a pivotal addition in West Brom`s bid to stay up.

The Baggies narrowly avoided relegation on the last day of last season, and have undergone something of a summer transformation since. Pepe Mel was relieved of his managerial duties, and long-serving players Zoltan Gera and Steven Reid were released. West Brom have also lost key loan men Scott Sinclair, Goran Popov, Matej Vydra and Morgan Amalfitano, who have gone back to their parent clubs.

Irvine will hope Davidson can help make the summer transformation successful. The odds on West Brom to finish in the top 10 are 4/1.