Guochuan Lai loan could have solved West Brom crisis after injury news drops on Thursday
Guochuan Lai’s loan repayment has never been more needed at West Brom after news of a quadruple injury blow broke Baggies’ hearts today.
Express and Star journalist Lewis Cox shared on 2 March that Grady Diangana could miss the rest of the season alongside injuries to Karlan Grant, Brandon Thomas-Asante and an illness to Jake Livermore.
The £4.95m figure, taken in March 2021, and interest that has taken it to £5m has yet to be repaid by club owner Lai, money that could have been used to reinvest into the squad in January.
“Big blow. Brandon Thomas-Asante (hamstring) misses tomorrow and poss next week too. Grady Diangana (foot ligaments) could face surgery, which would end season. Hope is only weeks. Karlan Grant (quad) 4-6 weeks. Jake Livermore is ill,” shared Cox on Twitter. (2 March, 2:53 PM)
Lai ensuring Albion officials the funds would be repaid ‘early in the new year’ only adds to these frustrations more after this disastrous injury news.
Not by the book.
The Albion are now entering the business end of the year and with 10 senior players out of action, bullish attempts to secure a Premier League promotion are in jeopardy.
Thomas-Asante and winger Diangana’s absences are obviously the main areas for concern from the latest injury news and again highlights the lack of real talent within the West Brom squad.
West Brom does indeed have a large squad, something Carlos Corberan has highlighted today will be beneficial in combatting these injuries, nevertheless, the Spaniard seems to be glossing over the cracks.
It’s a time like this where the January transfer window would have been the perfect time for the Albion and Corberan to get the players he well and truly wants in at the club.
Instead, loan deals were explored which obviously limited West Brom in an already tricky market to navigate, something which Lai’s failed repayment was the cause of.
The Chinese businessman does little to own up to his mistakes and instead doesn’t watch the team he owns from afar, treating it like a business that has gone wrong.
It never rains at The Hawthorns, it absolutely throws it down and yet again Lai’s face emerges as the prime culprit for where it all went wrong.
In other West Brom news, Carlos Corberan tells his strikers what they must do to keep their place in his starting XI.