West Brom takeover: Shilen Patel alarm bells ring amid report on Carlos Corberan
West Brom are believed to finally be closing in on a takeover that should be positive news for fans at The Hawthorns but a report in the past 24 hours will surely have sparked major concerns attached to it.
The Daily Mail reported on 9 February that the club was “cautiously hopeful” that Guochuan Lai’s “disastrous” tenure would come to an end within a month, with Shilen Patel thought to remain the frontrunner in the race to buy out the Chinese majority shareholder.
The US-based bidder is said to have the backing of MSD Holdings [The Athletic, 12 January], who have loaned £26million to the club, which appears to give him and his family a key advantage over rival offers.
But after it was claimed by TuttoSport on 12 February that a contract worth over €2million [£1.7m] had been drawn up for Torino coach Ivan Juric then alarm bells have to be ringing, with the “American tycoon” lined up to buy West Brom supposedly planning a “clean sweep” at the club .
It is no exaggeration to say that the turnaround Carlos Corberan has instigated at The Hawthorns when he arrived following the miserable Steve Bruce reign has been stunning.
The Baggies appeared to be sliding towards League One when the 40-year-old arrived in October of last season, before only just missing out of a Championship Play-Off place at the end of the campaign amid a major upturn in results, and engagement from the fanbase.
That he managed to do so despite dire financial warnings off the pitch meaning a lack of investment in the squad was all the more impressive.
Corberan holds embattled West Brom together amid takeover wait
While fears of a fire sale in the summer didn’t come to pass West Brom were forced to sell Dara O’Shea to Burnley and allow various other first-team players, including the likes of Karlan Grant and Taylor Gardner-Hickman, to depart on loan as part of cost-cutting measures, while the “shock” departure of CEO Ron Gourlay [Express & Star, 31 May] also contributed instability.
And yet Corberan has maintained the upward trajectory at The Hawthorns, with the club currently sitting fifth in the table and well in the Premier League promotion picture, all despite woeful injury luck further hampering a thin squad.
So if there is any truth the news that the Baggies boss could be moved out upon a takeover going through it would appear to risk dispensing with the club’s most prized asset.
Despite links to a Leeds United return twice last year Corberan signed a new deal and reaffirmed his commitment to the club, but in light of the work he is doing in difficult circumstances it is a surprise that he hasn’t been courted by more suitors.
The main bids involved in the takeover race are reportedly the Armenian Roman Gevorkyan, US-based Patel, and a British-Egyptian group put together by Chris Farnell and Mohamed Elkashashy, which contains Alex Hearn and is at the centre of disputed recent reports.
So it would appear the American said to be eyeing the Croatian coach Juric is Patel, which if the report is accurate would throw up a major red flag around his potential takeover.
It is not impossible that a new era at West Brom can’t be successful without the Corberan in charge but based on current evidence it looks like any new owner needs to be looking to cling onto the Spaniard for dear life and build their operation around him.
In other West Brom news, a pundit has hit out at a journalist for criticising a Baggies player.
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.