West Brom could face ‘severe test’ next season if promotion is not achieved – journalist
Express & Star journalist Matt Maher believes West Brom face a “severe test” financially next season if Carlos Corberan isn’t able to achieve promotion.
Just a few weeks after being coined relegation candidates, Corberan has arrived at The Hawthorns and turned West Brom into a team fighting for the playoff positions.
The Spaniard built up a run of five straight wins with the Baggies before it was derailed by Coventry City’s 1-0 win against them this week.
Promotion will still be the goal this season under Corberan, and failure to achieve it could see West Brom face a “severe test” next season, according to Express & Star chief writer Maher.
“In every season since Lai purchased his majority stake from Jeremy Peace for around £200m in 2016, the Baggies have been able to count on either Premier League money or parachute payments. That would not be the case next term should they fail to win promotion,” wrote Maher.
“At the very least, a third season in the Championship would bring the most severe test yet of the club and Lai’s finances.
“Albion plan to take out a loan from US investment firm MSD Holdings (previously reported to be between £15-25m) to aid running costs is concerning in that regard.
“The trouble is Lai already owes Albion around £10m.”
Racking up
While performances on the pitch have improved drastically in recent weeks, Albion fans are still mightily worried about the chaos going on behind the scenes.
Lai has repeatedly fail to address fans and be transparent about his running of the club. His loan dealings at the club have put West Brom in serious danger, and the £15-25million loan from MSD Holdings only adds to the issue.
With £10milion already owed to the club by the Chinese businessman, Lai is taking his total debts up to the £35million mark without having paid anything off.
Plus, as mentioned by Maher, the loss of parachute payments next season will take a huge toll on the finances of the club. If Lai is needing to take out loans this season, then how does he plan to cope if promotion isn’t secured?
Frankly, it’s not fair to put the future of the club’s finances on Corberan’s shoulders this season. He can hardly be expected to take a West Brom team dwelling in the drop zone to the Premier League in a matter of months.
In other West Brom news, Carlos Corberan describes the Coventry City loss as the “worst feeling in football”