Walsall keen on move for Oscar Gobern

Walsall are thought to be running the rule over out-of-contract Huddersfield Town midfielder Oscar Gobern.

The 24-year-old, who is the brother of former Wolves winger Lewis Gobern, has been offered a new deal by Terriers boss Chris Powell but looks set to leave West Yorkshire this summer.

Coventry and Crewe are also believed to be interested in the all-action midfielder, who is a former England under-19 international.

Despite confirmed interest from elsewhere, Powell is not thought to be willing to improve his current offer to Gobern.

Signed from Southampton for a tribunal-fixed £275,000, the Birmingham-born former Villa youth player has made 79 appearances in four years at the John Smith's Stadium.

Following an injury-plagued couple of seasons, Gobern was loaned to Chesterfield in October.

But the left-footed central midfielder returned to Huddersfield in December and made a big impact in the closing stages of the campaign.

Many Terriers fans were hopeful Gobern would be tied down to a new deal but he now looks likely to move on with the Saddlers understood to have spoken to Huddersfield about the player.

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A central midfielder is thought to be high on Walsall's summer shopping list.

Sam Manton, who missed most of last season with knee injury, is expected to be first choice alongside skipper Adam Chambers who turns 35 in November.

Meanwhile, defender Paul Downing has backed hotshot Tom Bradshaw to keep firing in the goals next season.

The former Shrewsbury frontman was on target 20 times last campaign – his first as a first-team regular.

Downing said: "He's always a confident lad and he believes that if he gets one or two chances a game that he's going to score. He will want to be consistent and I'm sure he'll be getting a lot of goals again next season."