Phillips delivers verdict on £2m compensation fee for West Brom to hire Ismael
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 has dubbed West Brom as “ambitious” after it was reported the club shelled out a compensation fee to Valerien Ismael as their new manager.
Earlier this week, the Albion announced that Ismael, 45, had arrived at The Hawthorns as their new manager on a four-year contract.
As per The Mirror, the club paid Barnsley £2million in compensation to prise him away from Oakwell to replace Sam Allardyce.
It’s a huge change of pace for West Brom as although the club has regularly sacked and replaced managers in the last couple of decades, they hadn’t paid a compensation fee since Roberto Di Matteo’s arrival from MK Dons in 2009.
Ex-Albion striker Phillips believes the £2million move for Ismael shows what the expectations are like behind the scenes at The Hawthorns and the club tries to return to the Premier League at the first attempt.
Speaking to West Brom News, Phillips said: “They’re ambitious.
“They’re not going to let a couple of million quid get in the way of getting their man so it’s good to see.
“Barnsley will obviously be gutted he’s left but it’s a new challenge for him.
“It’s good to know that the club are serious. They want to bounce back, there have been a few departures in the background in the last month or so.
“Bringing him in now, knowing they’ve paid that compensation, will be a big boost to everyone.
“I bet he can’t wait to get going.”
Ismael has a big task ahead of him.
West Brom’s squad is super light after their relegation from the Premier League was met with expiring contracts and loan deals.
Matheus Pereira and Sam Johnstone are also strongly linked with a return to the top-flight after proving their ability last season.
Ismael, who won’t have the help of former sporting and technical director Luke Dowling, will hopefully have started making moves already.
In other West Brom news, this Albion youngster has been spotted signing a deal with Chelsea.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.