View: Supporting reported Millwall proposal would be brilliant PR move by West Brom
The Daily Mail has reported that Millwall are proposing that the three teams who are promoted to the Premier League cover the cost of coronavirus testing for all Championship clubs once the season ends.
West Brom are in a strong position to secure promotion back to the top-flight this season with Slaven Bilic’s men sitting second in the table and six points clear of third-placed Fulham with nine matches left to play.
Although there has been a lot of debate about whether the season should be completed, there are strong signs to suggest that the Championship will reconvene at some point next month with BBC Sport journalist Simon Stone reporting that the EFL is hoping to resume matches on June 20.
Ahead of second-tier football returning, West Brom’s players and staff will be tested twice a week for COVID-19, which the Mail reports which cost the club around £200,000.
However Millwall have written to their fellow Championship clubs to suggest that the three teams promoted cover the costs of coronavirus testing, which would total to around £1.4million each.
It means that if Millwall get their way then West Brom – if they win promotion – will have to use £1.4million of their £170million promotion reward to cover costs of testing for teams like Stoke and Birmingham.
We believe that the Baggies should agree with Millwall’s proposal.
Although that £1.4million could go a long way in securing a transfer or offering someone like Matheus Pereira a better contract to keep him at The Hawthorns, it would be a very good PR move by the club in what are unprecedented times.
West Brom shouldn’t have any trouble in paying for the cost of testing their players but when you look lower down the Championship table, there are some clubs who could really do with the help.
Everyone needs to pull together and find a way to stop clubs running into financial ruin while matches are played behind closed doors.
Albion should be at the forefront of what seems like a very reasonable request by Millwall.
In other West Brom news, Kevin Phillips has concerns about West Brom’s reported interest in signing this overseas player.