West Brom move for Steven Alzate collapsed at hands of Billy Gilmour sale from Chelsea to Brighton
Billy Gilmour was the reason that the deal to take Steven Alzate on loan to West Brom fell apart on deadline day, according to Joe Chapman.
The Scotland international eventually moved from Chelsea to the Amex but not until after the 11pm deadline, meaning it was too late for Colombian midfielder Alzate to then complete a move to the Hawthorns.
The 23-year-old is one of two midfielders who were slated to become Baggies on deadline day, with Josh Onomah also completing a medical, but the day after the window closed there is still little clarity over the status of both moves amid paperwork confusion, and it seems in the case of at least one it was slow progress at Stamford Bridge that was behind it.
Responding to a question on Twitter about the Colombian, Birmingham Live reporter Chapman said: “Yes… he was in London for his medical, but that deal hadn’t progressed as far as Onomah’s.
“Led to believe with Alzate they were waiting on the Billy Gilmour deal to go through, and that didn’t until after 11pm, by which time it was too late.”
Ridiculous
To have one loan move fail on the basis of movements elsewhere might be considered a mistake, but to have two fall through is infuriating.
The fact that there are tighter rules governing the EFL’s transfers than the Premier League undoubtedly doesn’t help, as the discrepancy seems to invite this sort of situation.
Had Chelsea and Brighton had the same urgency to get the Gilmour move completed as the Baggies presumably did to bring in Alzate then it would surely have been done, but with the two top flight sides only having to officially indicate their intentions to do the deal they had more time on their end.
But the only one of the three clubs involved in the triangle who comes out unscathed is Chelsea, since the Seagulls are now at risk of having an unwanted spare midfielder in their squad.
Steve Bruce, and by extension the Albion fans, comes off worst since, assuming late discussions over when exactly the paperwork was filed don’t result in a reprieve, he has two fewer options to work with.
With Callum Robinson leaving anyway what looked like an unspectacular but relatively useful deadline day might actually have left the club weaker than how they went in.
In other West Brom news, a journalist appears to have suggested that one of the deals was sent in before the cut off point.