Carlos Corberan holds talks with Shilen Patel amid West Brom player contracts situation
Carlos Corberan has held talks with Shilen Patel over the out-of-contract players at West Brom, with the Baggies head coach praising their commitment.
A significant proportion of the playing staff could be plying their trade elsewhere come the start of the 2024/25 campaign, with a great deal of turnover expected this summer.
However, West Brom’s manager has seen no shortage of commitment to the cause as the club battle to secure their play-off place and earn promotion back to the Premier League.
Speaking to the Express and Star, Corberan said: “From players who have, let’s say, a more long-term contract, to player who finish their contract this year, or for the loans, the level of commitment is the highest level they can have.
“Sometimes we have more question marks about the level of commitment with a player in the last year of their contract than the level of commitment with the loans and both are in the same situation, or not, because usually the loans have a contract in front of them and those in the last year do not. Does it mean they need to do more things to guarantee a continuity in football?
“Sometimes these challenges help people achieve the best level they can achieve – or sometimes it can decrease. In this team, I didn’t see anyone affected [negatively] by this. I saw during the year a very good level of Kipre, of Bartley, of Mowatt, of Reach, of Phillips, of many players that finish their contract. In any moment they have given me the minimal possibility of doubts. A massive level of commitment with the job and the club and the team they are part of.”
West Brom set for a significant period of change
Whether West Brom earn promotion or not at the end of this campaign, their squad is likely to look almost unrecognisable in 2024/25.
A whopping 14 players could simply depart the club this summer, either due to the expiry of their loan deals or permanent contracts.
Four players – Andreas Weimann, Mikey Johnston, Pipa and Callum Marshall – are at the club on loan. Weimann and Pipa have seen limited minutes, while Marshall has been allowed to return to West Ham – although officially he remains on the books until the end of 2023/24 – but there seems to be a desire to acquire Johnston permanently from Celtic if possible.
A further 10 players – Kyle Bartley, Erik Pieters, Yann M’Vila, Matt Phillips, Martin Kelly, Nathaniel Chalobah, Adam Reach, Alex Mowatt, Cedric Kipre and Ted Cann – have deals set to end in just a few months.
This is no group of outcasts – many have featured regularly this season, with six players on that list racking up over 1,000 minutes across all competitions.
That is to say nothing of the state of the contracts across the rest of the team. This summer, there are an additional nine members of the squad entering the final year of their deals and a further four entering the last two years. In fact, Tom Fellows is the only first-team player with a deal that has more than two years left to run, with a contract that expires in the summer of 2027.
The stage is set for plenty of change at the Hawthorns this summer.
In other West Brom news, Corberan has been predicted to make two changes to his starting line-up against Leicester City.
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.