West Brom: ‘Critical’ takeover timeline update vs January transfer window amid threat of third loan
The West Brom takeover needs to happen “quickly” to avoid the club being forced to borrow yet more money but looks like it won’t be done by the end of the month, according to Steve Madeley.
The Athletic journalist reported via the outlet’s website on 15 January that the deal now looks “unlikely” to get done in time to have much of an impact on the January transfer window.
Carlos Corberan is said to be “clear in the knowledge” that loans are his only avenue to acquiring the attacking help that he wants.
But with West Brom still losing money and the £27million borrowed from MSD “unable to fill the gap indefinitely” the next few weeks are considered “critical”.
It emerged last week that American Shilen Patel, who has the backing of MSD, is believed to be Guochuan Lai’s preferred option from the bidders, of which there are at least three, and set for a period of exclusivity to get the buy-out deal done.
Against the clock
It was always going to be tight but the nature of club takeovers rarely sail through quicker than expected and it does indeed look like Corberan’s task will remain the same throughout the window.
The manager has so far managed to negotiate the difficulties at the club extremely well, and while new ownership wouldn’t have opened the floodgates to spending in the market it might have cleared some avenues to augment a squad that has arguably overachieved so far.
Andreas Weimann is on the way in from Bristol City to at least provide some help in forward areas where the Baggies’ options have been badly depleted this term.
But the threat of departures is arguably more worrying than the potential inability add anyone else, when the thin West Brom squad has provided an admirable return this season to be firmly in the play-off race but might be stretched too far if a couple of key men left.
The financial picture at The Hawthorns will remain perilous for as long as it takes for the takeover to be done, and now that it is in touching distance fans will be desperate for the Albion to avoid having to take measures in mitigation that will weaken the push for promotion during the final stretch.
In other West Brom news, Fabrizio Romano has issued a transfer update on a first-team Baggies player.