West Brom expected to lose ‘several’ players amid contract update at The Hawthorns
West Brom are expected to see “several” players leave at the end of the season in order to bring the wage bill down, according to Express & Star.
The paper reported via their website on 14 February that regardless of a takeover being completed it will still be necessary for cost-cutting measures to go ahead within the squad.
A host of first-team Baggies players’ contracts are currently set to expire at the end of the season, including Kyle Bartley, Adam Reach, Martin Kelly, Erik Pieters and Matt Phillips.
Carlos Corberan revealed talks where going on between the club and both Cedric Kipre and Alex Mowatt over potential extensions, but did not specify on other players who are currently heading for the exit.
West Brom set for multiple summer exits regardless of takeover
Considering how dire the financial picture looked when the accounts were released last season it is a turn up that the West Brom squad has made it this far while remaining relatively in tact.
There have been a number of notable exits, with the £7million sale of Dara O’Shea to Burnley [John Percy, 22 June] in the summer top of the list.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman looked at one stage like he would be part of the furniture at The Hawthorns for years to come, but has since departed on loan and now permanently to Bristol City.
If costs are too high then the Albion clearly can’t keep borrowing money from MSD Holdings in perpetuity so changes will have to be made.
If Corberan could manage to drag the Baggies back to the Premier League despite the lack of investment in the squad and the major injury blows to it then it would ease the exit pressure.
And if loanees can continue to contribute in the way that Andi Weimann and Mikey Johnstone have since their January arrivals then there is hope that the entire operation wouldn’t be derailed all the same.
But it does appear that uncomfortable decisions will still have to be made within a few months one way or another.
In other West Brom news, an update has emerged amid a shock pursuit for a new manager at The Hawthorns.
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