Kevin Phillips reacts to West Brom compensation pay out for Valerien 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 insisted that it is “never ideal” to pay out huge compensation to an outgoing manager after the sacking of Valerien Ismael.
The ex-Baggies talisman admitted that the club will have known the financial risk, but sometimes you have to stump up the cash and move on.
West Brom had to pay £2million to get Ismael from Barnsley in the summer and will have had to pay out three-and-half years of his contract.
“It’s never ideal,” he exclusively told West Brom News.
“You’ve got to pay compensation, do you suck it up and pay it? So, it’s not ideal financially for any football club, but they know that.
“They would know at some point that there would be that compensation or that opportunity, it is what it is. They’ll have paid it and moved on.”
Needed.
No matter how much money it will have taken, this is a decision that simply needed to have happened.
The board finally made that decision, and have to be praised for their proactive approach to not sit back and let promotion slip away.
Bringing in Bruce for no money helps to balance that out, and he has inherited a club in the play-offs and with a slim chance of automatic promotion.
Now it is down to him to prove this decision didn’t come too late and earn the money that comes with promotion to the Premier League.
That would make everyone forget about any level of compensation.
In other West Brom news, an ex-Albion midfielder instantly reacted to the news of Ismael’s dismissal on Wednesday.