West Brom promotion hopes lost, Carlos Corberan regrets Leeds United snub – BBC pundit
West Brom aren’t good enough to get promoted from the Championship and still could be weakened further this summer, Carlton Palmer has warned.
The Baggies have already sold Dara O’Shea to Burnley for £7million to help ease the financial concerns at The Hawthorns, while Karlan Grant has joined Cardiff on loan.
From last season’s squad Jake Livermore, Tom Rogic and Kean Bryan were all allowed to leave as their contracts expired, and Palmer believes Carlos Corberan might now wish he had got the Leeds United job when he was linked.
BBC pundit Palmer told Football League World: “I don’t think West Brom have a good enough squad to get promoted next season, given the financial restraints at the club.
“The owners have come out and said there’s still going to be players leaving. I think this could be a frustrating season for Carlos Corberan and the supporters.
“And he may well be regretting not taking the Leeds job when he had the opportunity. They’ve already sold Dara O’Shea to Burnley, their best defender.
“And there are rumours that more players will be sold before the end of the transfer window to balance the books.
“So it is not looking good at all.”
Bleak outlook
There’s no way to dress the financial situation up as a positive, and all things being equal Corberan would have wanted O’Shea in his squad next term.
But Grant only scored three times in the Championship last season, a sixth of the 18 goals he produced in the previous campaign, so his loss can be absorbed.
It will depend who else might depart before the end of the transfer window, and whether it is possible for West Brom to bring anyone the manager likes in.
The Spaniard ended Leeds speculation in emphatic form by signing a new contract in February and, while the extent of the finances didn’t become widely known until after that point, he surely could have made overtures to the Elland Road club if he really wanted out the second time around this summer.
So for now Baggies fans have to believe that Corberan can produce some more of the magic that he did when taking over from Steve Bruce.
He ultimately fell just short of the play-offs thanks to the low starting point he arrived to, and there is no doubt his task has got harder this summer, but for now the full-scale exodus hasn’t occurred.
However, it will be a nervy few weeks for him and the fanbase to get through to see who else goes and the size of the task left behind.
In other West Brom news, an “unbelievable” Albion ace has been tipped to depart next.