Steve Bruce faces West Brom transfer call on player with 'lots of admirers'

There weren’t heaps to take out of West Bromwich Albion’s eventually comfortable friendly win at Oxford United on Tuesday evening, but one player who certainly did his chances of a first-team look-in no harm at all was centre half Caleb Taylor.

The towering teenager, who only a fortnight ago signed a new contract with the club to extend his stay at The Hawthorns until at least 2025, took full advantage of Steve Bruce’s defensive situation to stake a claim ahead of what is a key month in his development.

Taylor, the son of former Blues centre half Martin, played a half hour at the Kassam Stadium as Albion ran out 3-0 winners. With last season’s loanee Matt Clarke out of the picture, Cedric Kipre out on loan at Cardiff and Dara O’Shea with his newborn child, Taylor thrived.

He took the place of the recovering Kyle Bartley, who was always only going to play an hour upon his return, and joined Semi Ajayi at the heart of the defence with the score-line still goalless at that time.

As well as ensuring that the U’s didn’t have so much as a sniff of a chance at the back, Taylor’s aerial prowess was put to good use in the opposing penalty area as he won consecutive headers from a corner and the second was gratefully nodded in by Karlan Grant.

Albion have Ethan Ingram and Zac Ashworth close to the first-team picture, too, but with Kipre gone and Kean Bryan still believed to be a way off returning, Taylor grasped his opportunity to impress as he attempts to ensure that he remains firmly in Bruce’s thoughts for the forthcoming season.

There’s interest aplenty from the lower reaches of the EFL, and by Bruce’s own admission the phone hasn’t stopped ringing as his League 1 and League 2 counterparts look to secure loan deals for