West Brom: £900m safety net already on the cards for Shilen Patel as talks scheduled
A £900million safety net could already be on the cards for Shilen Patel at West Brom as emergency talks are scheduled to provide a financial deal for the EFL.
The Daily Mirror reported on page 55 of its print edition on Wednesday (21 February) that Premier League clubs are due to meet on 29 February to try and reach an agreement on a £900million, six-year package for the football pyramid.
It added that the Premier League’s chiefs are keen to resolve the issue before the Government steps in as the Football Governance Bill is due to pass through Parliament in the next few weeks.
The talks over a potential deal for the EFL stalled before Christmas as the top-flight clubs could not agree on how and who would cough up the cash.
The deal could be vital in helping many of the clubs lower down in the pyramid survive over the next few years after it’s become harder for smaller teams to compete.
After helping English football sustain its position as the best sporting pyramid in the world of sport, those top-flight sides should be sharing their wealth to protect all 92 clubs.
While they have earned the right to play in the Premier League, where the riches are far greater than any other division, many of those clubs have played in the football league over the past few years.
It isn’t right that 20 teams reap the benefits while everyone else tries to keep the pace or, in many instances, just tries to stay afloat.
West Brom would have been reliant on that cash filtering down had American businessman Patel not reached an agreement to acquire Guochuan Lai’s 87.8 per cent majority shareholding.
Before that deal went through, the Baggies’ future was looking increasingly uncertain after the club had been poorly managed for several years and huge loans had been taken out.
Albion currently find themselves battling for a place in the Premier League next season, meaning they could be one of the lucky few who can reap the rewards on offer in the top flight.
But if they do manage to be successful via the Championship playoffs during this campaign, it’s unlikely they will forget how much that funding is needed for the EFL clubs after what they’ve been through.
On the other hand, if they happen to fall short in their bid for promotion, then the money filtering down could be vital in helping them mount a challenge again next season.
Either way, the Premier League clubs need to pay up now to help secure the future of English football, rather than purely focusing on lining their own pockets.
In other West Brom news, an ex-Baggies favourite has spoken out about his controversial Hawthorns exit.
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