Shilen Patel ‘top bidder’ to complete West Brom takeover as family wealth detailed in US newspaper
US entrepreneur Shilen Patel has emerged as the “top bidder” in the takeover saga at West Brom, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
The Florida newspaper reported on Thursday (26 January) that Guochuan Lai has been in talks with prospective buyers since November, citing an update by BBC Sport on 12 January and adding that the takeover is “nearing a conclusion”.
Tampa Bay Business Journal also adds some details about Patel and his family’s wealth.
It is understood that Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel have investments primarily focusing on healthcare, commercial real estate and hospitality. Their assets are reportedly worth “well over $1billion” (£788million).
As for Shilen Patel, he’s spent the majority of his career as a solo businessman and in 2021, he sold a healthcare technology company he founded after striking a deal with private equity investors.
Patel also holds an ownership stake in Serie A club Bologna and Tampa Bay Business Journal did approach him for a comment but nothing came of it.
Encouraging?
The issue with West Brom’s takeover is that there’s always the chance that someone worse than Lai pops up at The Hawthorns.
There’s no doubt about the fact that the Chinese ownership has been way worse than Jeremy Peace so you cannot rule out the possibility that Patel – or whoever Lai sells to – ends up being worse.
However, the update on Patel here sounds quite encouraging.
He has a stake at Bologna, who are currently performing well in Serie A in seventh position.
Of course, being a minor shareholder at a club in Italy’s top league and being the majority owner at a Championship club are two completely different things as Patel’s role at Bologna is unlikely to be much of a burden on him.
But at The Hawthorns, he will have to deal with spiralling debts, a squad that’s on the verge of dissolving and a good chance that another Championship season or two is on the horizon.
He’ll no doubt win over a lot of West Brom fans straight away simply because he’s bought the club and sent Lai back to Shanghai (if he ever left China, that is).
But he needs to be present, he needs to interact and he needs to invest.
We’re not asking for an owner who cannot keep his mouth shut or throws unhealthy sums of cash at a problem. We just want someone with their head screwed on who’ll be willing to do his best for the sake of this historic football club.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies are now extremely keen on securing a deal for a Premier League striker in January who made headlines this season.
For more West Brom news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.