Carlos Corberan can save West Brom millions with Reyes Cleary move amid worrying parachute development
Carlos Corberan is under pressure to shift high-earning West Brom players due to their financial situation and he may look to promote academy stars to save costs.
The Baggies fell to a Championship final-day 3-2 defeat to Swansea City that left them 9th in the table at the end of a tumultuous season that included the sacking of Steve Bruce, the arrival of Corberan, and continued protests of chairman Guochuan Lai.
After failing to secure a spot in the playoffs, Corberan could be set for an immediate knock-out blow, with a report in the Daily Mail reporting (29 April) that an imminent fire sale of several first-team stars is expected in order to balance the books at The Hawthorns.
And that news has been confirmed by John Percy at The Telegraph [11 May] who confirms that parachute payments have run out following their 2021 Premier League relegation, and the club faces a difficult summer of trading.
He wrote on the paper’s website: “West Bromwich Albion are preparing for another season in the Championship, with unpopular owner Guochuan Lai’s reputation at an all-time low with supporters.
“Parachute payments have now run out, following relegation from the Premier League in 2021, and West Brom face a tough summer of trading to lower their cost base and fulfil wage obligations.
“Carlos Corberan, the head coach, will have to sell players before buying and there is pressure to shift some high earners such as Karlan Grant, Grady Diangana, Matt Phillips and Kyle Bartley”.
The Spaniard certainly faces a testing summer ahead at The Hawthorns, possessing the ambitions to turn West Brom into immediate automatic promotion challengers for next season, and to do that he will desperately need quality additions to his squad.
But, given the club’s tough financial situation right now and Lai’s continued lack of aid and support, a major overhaul of the West Brom squad looks impossible.
A potential fire sale may have to happen and losing key stars such as Diangana, Phillips and Bartley would hurt the club but they certainly have to think about the Baggies’ long-term future too.
Should the Albion fail in their attempts to secure many of their transfer targets, Corberan may already be looking at potential ways to save costs at the club and that means recruiting from within, and one player who looks ready for Championship-level football is Reyes Cleary.
The 19-year-old forward enjoyed a sensational 2022/23 campaign, scoring 19 goals for Richard Beale’s PL2 side as well as making five appearances across three different competitions for the senior team.
He also bagged hat-tricks on two separate occasions against Middlesbrough in a 5-2 home victory in October, and then a 5-1 triumph at Derby County in April, and has been nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Season award after his fantastic year.
With Brandon Thomas-Asante as Corberan’s only available front-man, due to Daryl Dike’s long-term injury woe, West Brom will be desperate for some magic dust in the forward positions and given Cleary’s superb record in the PL2 division, he could well prove a healthy solution to the Baggies financial and potential transfer woes.
The Championship remains the ideal platform across Europe for burgeoning young talents to hone their craft, and players who have taken a similar path to Cleary have gone on to become World beaters at Premier League level.
Promoting from within the academy is something the Spaniard should be undergoing anyway, to ensure a sustainable and healthy future at The Hawthorns.
Cleary has already proven himself at reserve level, and now deserves the opportunity in attempting to impress it at first team level in the West Midlands, it could well save Corberan priceless millions.
In other West Brom news, the club have made a desperate attempt to rip fans off now the season has ended.