BBC Sport: ‘Outright favourite’ emerges in West Brom takeover race
An “outright favourite” has emerged in the race to take over West Brom after weeks of mounting speculation according to BBC Sport.
The broadcaster reported on its website on Thursday (30 November) that of the three reported potential bidders interested in acquiring the Baggies, one party has emerged and is understood to be the “outright favourite” in the race.
It had been reported that three parties from the United States were interested in taking over the Baggies, with a takeover now closer than ever before during Guochuan Lai’s tenure with the price to acquire Albion set at around £60 million [Tom Collomosse, 15 November].
Previously there had been reports that parties from the Middle East had been interested in taking over West Brom [Daily Mail, 20 September], but talks seem to be progressing positively, with the managing director confirming that non-disclosure agreements were in place.
Moving closer
All the signs seem to point towards a takeover of West Brom getting closer over the coming weeks and months and now that an “outright favourite” has emerged in the race things could be set to advance incredibly quickly at The Hawthorns.
West Brom need this deal to be completed and quickly after they were forced to take another loan from MSD Holding. If they don’t find new ownership sooner rather than later, the prospect of administration has emerged once again and that would be catastrophic for the Baggies.
On a more positive note, West Brom will be hoping that the current frontrunner can complete a deal before the January transfer window opens as Carlos Corberan’s side are only one or two signings away from securing their place in the promotion race.
Currently, Albion have found themselves in the hunt for the playoff positions despite the limited resources available to Corberan in the summer transfer window. The Spaniard could only sign free agents and loanees in the summer but has still managed to turn an incredibly limited side into top-six contenders.
A couple of special additions under a new ownership model could well be season-defining.
In other West Brom news, Jayson Molumby could be forced to push for The Hawthorns exit door after three players became undroppable