Adrian Goldberg shares West Brom transfer fears as Tom Fellows linked with Everton move
Adrian Goldberg is worried that any money brought in by West Brom through player sales in the remainder of the January transfer window will not be reinvested back into the squad.
Baggies boss Carlos Corberan is in the market for at least one more new player – ideally two – before the February 1 deadline.
Andreas Weimann is the only arrival so far, with the forward joining on loan in a deal that saw Taylor Gardner-Hickman join Bristol City permanently.
Tom Fellows has been linked with The Hawthorns exit amid suggestions Premier League side Everton are showing an interest [Fabrizio Romano], but former BBC broadcaster Goldberg fears any transfer fee would go towards paying off various bills.
“It’s my understanding that the Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Andreas Weimann deal is that money that was owed to us, on the assumption that Gardner-Hickman would make his transfer permanent, has been cancelled out,” Goldberg said on The Liquidator podcast [25m 1s].
“Rather than getting the cash, we’re getting Weimann. My sense is – and I speak as an outsider – is that we’ve borrowed £20millon to keep going, then another £7-8m, again just to keep going, which to me is not a football club that is in a position to go out and spend money in the transfer market or even bring in additional players on the wage bill.
“Unless players go out, which sadly I think one or two may do, we won’t have any money to spend. Even if a couple of players do go out, like Fellows for example, I’m not convinced that money will be used to bring in someone else.
“Albion are probably in a situation where any money that comes in will pay the bills and keep the lights on.”
Concerning
The fear among West Brom supporters was always that the takeover situation would drag on until beyond the January transfer window.
If that proved the case, as it has done, then there was always going to be a risk that players would have to be sold to help balance the books.
Weimann, an experienced Championship player, was effectively brought in using the Gardner-Hickman funds.
Jeremy Sarmiento is also off Albion’s books following his recall by Brighton and Hove Albion, freeing up some wages for Weimann.
At best it looks as though it is going to be a case of one in and one out, which could mean Fellows departing and another player coming in.
The worst-case scenario is the one outlined by Goldberg in that Fellows, or someone else, is sold and that no replacements are recruited.
This is just the position Albion are in right now, and it will not get any better until the new owners are finally in place.
In other West Brom news, an “extremely limited finances” view has been shared by a local journalist.
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