West Ham midfielder Gavin Williams will join the Blues on a one-month loan from Wednesday. TWTD first reported Town interest in the Wales international back in August.

Boss Joe Royle confirmed that he has been keeping an eye on the former Yeovil man for some time: "Gavin is an excellent midfielder, who has not figured much in the West Ham team this season. He did very well against us last season and is a player who we have been after for a while."

Williams signed for the Hammers from the Glovers for £250,000 last December but his only senior appearance this season came in the Carling Cup victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

The 25-year-old won his only full Wales cap in the 0-0 friendly draw with Slovenia in August.

Williams started his career at Hereford where he made 134 appearances and scored 31 goals between 1996 and 2002. He moved on to Yeovil on a free transfer and was part of their 2002/03 promotion side, making a total of 104 appearances and scoring 21 goals in two-and-a-half years at Huish Park.

Since joining West Ham the Merthyr Tydfil-born player has made just 11 appearances and has scored only once.

Royle says the move is not linked to a deal taking Dean Bowditch in the opposite direction: "This is a loan move in its own right. We have had an initial enquiry about Dean Bowditch from West Ham but we had not heard anything more from them about him since."

Tabloid reports over the weekend claimed that the Hammers are no longer interested in signing the 19-year-old frontman when the January transfer window opens.

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