West Brom director shares transfer news as more players will leave in new challenge
West Brom managing director Mark Miles has admitted the club’s financial situation is an “ongoing challenge” as they make efforts to balance the books this summer, according to The Athletic.
The Baggies have had to make cuts this year, with the parachute payments from the Premier League expiring after their third and final instalment last season, as the club enters its first season without top-tier funding in the last 21 years.
Managing director Miles has shared that players will be sold if sufficient bids are received, as was the case with Dara O’Shea moving to Burnley, and has outlined their targets as the transfer window rolls on.
Miles was speaking about the club’s situation via The Athletic and stated: “What is available to spend is dependent on which players go out. We haven’t used the loan market well in the past so that’s an area we’re looking at.
“Clearly everyone can see that to be competitive next season we do need a change around in the squad. That will involve players going out as well as players coming in. Carlos [Corberan] has a very clear vision of who he wants those players to be and in order to get that for him, there is a need for players to leave.”
The interview comes during a period where several West Brom stars are being linked to moves away, including Jayson Molumby [Yorkshire Post, 19 June] and Grady Diangana [Express and Star, 4 July], although the club have made it clear players will not leave for cut prices.
West Brom fans will need to be patient
As The Atheltic noted as they rounded off their report, a degree of patience is going to be needed amongst fans in the summer transfer window, as a lot of upheaval is necessary in this squad.
The club’s managing director coming out to say players will need to leave is never an ideal situation, but his openness and willingness to share the news with fans should be seen as a positive. Communication between clubs and fans is too rare in the modern game, with fans often left in the dark, but this is not the case at West Brom.
West Brom will only accept deals that suit them, so when stars do inevitably leave, it will be for prices set themselves rather than those other clubs may try to barter. This should allow room for further investment in the squad.
As Miles noted, the club are yet to do any deals via the loan market this summer, so that should be something they look to exploit as other Championship clubs have, with Sunderland (Amad Diallo, Ellis Simms, Joe Gelhardt) and Burnley (Nathan Tella, Ian Maatsen, Taylor Harwood-Bellis) key examples from last season.
Change is needed, and now.
In other West Brom news, one star has returned to the training ground in new injury update.