Exclusive: Phillips backs West Brom to go for quality over quantity in summer window
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips does not expect West Brom to open the floodgates in the summer and sign a whole host of new players if they win promotion to the Premier League.
Although Albion lost at home to Wigan on Saturday, they are still in a decent position at the top of the Championship, six points clear of third-placed Fulham.
While many fans would rather wait until promotion is mathematically assured, there are bound to be people behind the scenes at The Hawthorns who are drawing up plans for the summer transfer window.
In recent seasons we have seen teams like Aston Villa and Fulham rise to the Premier League, spending millions of pounds on a lot of new players, only to struggle at the bottom of the table.
Phillips believes that West Brom are unlikely to follow in the same footsteps as their local rivals and current promotion rivals due to the fact Slaven Bilic already has a decent squad on his hands.
“It’s a tough one,” Phillips told West Brom News. “You’ve seen over the years teams coming into the Premier League. We saw it with Fulham a couple of years ago when they brought in 12-15 players and it didn’t work.
“You saw it with Villa at the beginning of this season, they’ve brought in 10, 11, 12 players. They’re certainly not relegated but they’re in a bit of a dodgy situation, so it’s not always the answer.
“The good thing about Slaven Bilic is that he’s had experience in the Premier League. I think they will get there barring a complete slip-up.
“I don’t see them splashing on loads of players – I see them going for quality. The nucleus of the squad is pretty good, you just add three or four players to it, depending on the budget. I think their squad is ok.”
With the infamously tight-fisted Mark Jenkins as chief executive and absent Chinese businessman Guoachuan Lai as the owner, it seems unlikely that the Baggies are set for a massive splurge in the transfer market in the summer.
However there are certainly areas you would suggest need improving upon.
Except for Matheus Pereira, all of the loan players at The Hawthorns could return to their parent club without being signed permanently while the striker area is also one that could do with some investment.
In other West Brom news, Phillips has claimed this player has become a “major force” in Europe since leaving The Hawthorns.