Walsall aim to seal Jack Earing deal

Earing, who recently made his return following an 11-month absence with a knee injury, was offered a short-term contract in the summer. That deal is due to expire on New Year’s Eve, but Mat Sadler has confirmed they are “really close” to reaching an agreement.

“Yes (talks are) ongoing. We’re desperate to get it sorted and hopefully we’re not too far away as well. It’s really close,” Sadler revealed.

Sadler also addressed Ronan Maher’s lack of minutes and his potential plans for the teenager.

Maher was recalled from a successful loan spell at Rushall Olympic at the start of November, but has not featured in each of Walsall’s previous three league games.

The Walsall boss added: “We’ve got to see what the best thing is next for Ronan. We’ve got some really hungry players that are putting in incredible work for the team, and it will help his experience to see those guys.

“We’ve got to remember that Ronan is still only 18-years-old. It’s about trying to piece together as many games as we can get him.

“We’ll assess again in January and see if we need to send him back out on loan because at the start of the season I wanted him to get 30 games.”