MARESCA: "I`M GOING NOWHERE"

20 year-old Maresca had been the subject of speculation that a £3 million move back to Italy would go through before their Friday transfer deadline but he has stated that he sees his future at the First Division club.

"I`m looking forward to Saturday`s match against Port Vale," said Maresca after returning from his homeland, where he spent last week with family. "It`s a big game for the players and fans. We need to start winning matches so we can pull ourselves up the table."

The midfielder joined the Baggies on a free transfer in 1998 from Cagliari and has been linked with a number of top clubs across the continent - especially since the announcement that Albion were losing £30,000-a-week in December.

Meanwhile, Albion manager Brian Little has promised to give goalkeeper Alan Miller as long as possible to make the team for the "must-win" Port Vale game.

29-year-old Miller is currently sidelined after having a knee cartilage "clean-up" operation and treatment for swollen fingers and Little said: "Alan is still recovering and it is unlikely that he will return to training in the early part of this week.

"But we haven`t ruled him out of Saturday`s match at this stage. It would be nice to beat Port Vale because we`ve not had good results for while. We`ll be working hard in training and trying to be as positive as we can."

David Allen