According to The Athletic, one of West Brom's recent academy graduates is nearing a new contract after it was revealed that talks had progressed to an advanced stage. But sorry Baggies fans, it's not Nathan Ferguson.

What's the word?

It is believed that young winger Kyle Edwards is set to commit his future to Albion and agree to fresh terms that will see his wages increase tenfold.

The 21-year-old is currently on £1k-per-week at the Hawthorns, but that is now expected to rise to around £10k-per-week as he has become a regular member of Slaven Bilic's first-team squad.

Edwards has been part of the set-up in west Midlands for 14 years now, and teammate Romaine Sawyers recalls a story from when he was part of the youth ranks, he said:

"Mark Harrison, our old academy manager, told my age group, ‘We’ve got this kid who is ten years old and this is Messi.' No word of a lie; I could see the comparison back then."

Romaine Sawyers, WBA midfielder (2004-13 & 2019-)

Positive sign

For as long as anyone can remember, West Brom have continually struggled to keep hold of their rising stars - from Izzy Brown to Yan Dhanda, to Louie Barry and now possibly Ferguson.

This latest move is an encouraging sign that bucks the long-term trend at the Hawthorns as for once, they are set to keep hold of a prospect for the future, which means playing-wise it can benefit Bilic, but financially, they could make a profit on him through any sale.

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all of these obscure West Brom players...

Edwards was only promoted permanently into the senior fold this pre-season but has gone on to play 27 times in all competitions, directly contributing to five goals, per Transfermarkt, as he plays second fiddle to loan star Grady Diangana at left-wing.

His role in recent months has increased substantially as the Hammers man has suffered from back-to-back injuries, which makes this move seem all that smarter.

And while it's not the positive news surrounding Ferguson that fans have been crying out for, make no bones about it, this is a positive step for Luke Dowling and the club.

And in other news, read Slaven Bilic's latest comments following their FA Cup triumph at the weekend...