Unanswered questions mounting at West Brom as new auditor search begins
West Brom are once again on the lookout for a new auditor after cutting ties with Pricewaterhouse Coopers, according to The Athletic.
The online source has reported on its website that the 2020-21 accounts, which were published late, will be the last that PWC takes on at The Hawthorns.
It is shared that unanswered questions are mounting at the club, with Shareholders For Albion not receiving a response from 40 questions they sent six weeks ago.
Writing in their latest snippet for The Athletic, Matt Slater shared the news that only brings more questions to an already mounting list at The Hawthorns.
“It is not just new players, Championship goals and loan repayments West Bromwich Albion are lacking: they are also looking for a new auditor,” he wrote.
“The Birmingham branch of financial services giant PricewaterhouseCoopers had been doing the West Midlands club’s books since 2018 but the much-delayed 2020-21 accounts will be the last.
“But the unanswered questions are mounting at The Hawthorns. Shareholders For Albion, an association representing the 430 individuals who account for the 12 per cent of West Brom not owned by Lai, sent the club 40 questions relating to their governance six weeks ago.
“They are yet to receive a response.”
Changes.
West Brom were unable to tell The Athletic who the new auditor would likely be.
They shared that the usual practice is that replacements should be named within 28 days of the most recent accounts being published, and that was back on June 30th.
Of course, we have gone miles past that so-called deadline with the usual silence that comes from The Hawthorns as everyone remains in the dark.
Ron Gourlay has set up and attended numerous Albion Assembly meetings, and is usually open and honest in those, so we may need to wait for another one to get answers on this.
The truth is that this is now the fourth auditor the club has had in seven years, so change is usually quick and often, with the books holding many secrets as we found out last time.
This silence cannot continue forever though, and answers will be demanded sooner rather than later.
In other West Brom news, Ron Gourlay has now pivoted to a new market as he looks for multiple new out of window transfers for the Baggies