West Brom would suffer ‘massive blow’ over Darnell Furlong as £2m transfer news emerges
Carlton Palmer does not believe selling Darnell Furlong for £2million this summer would represent good business for West Brom.
Sun journalist Alan Nixon reported via Patreon on Sunday (26 May) that the Baggies would be willing to offload the right-back for a fee around £2m in order to raise funds after missing out on promotion to the Premier League.
However, Palmer feels the defender’s low price tag means the deal is not a good one for a player who played an important role in the season just gone.
Speaking to Football League World (28 May), he said: “This is not great news for West Brom and their manager Carlos Corberan going into the new season. [Furlong] was an ever-present for West Brom last season, and [his sale] would be a massive blow for Carlos going forward.
“At 28, that’s a snip for clubs who are looking for him at £2million, but it’s disappointing for West Brom because players don’t come cheaply in the Championship, and West Brom would be looking to kick on and go forward.
“He was an ever-present, he was a very consistent performer for West Brom, and it’s not a huge amount of money you can invest. You can use the money and his salary to bring in new recruits, but if West Brom are looking to kick on next season, £2million is not a lot of money for the player. I understand his age at 28, but surely these are the players West Brom would like to keep to go on and get promotion next season.
“For me, it’s not great business for West Brom, there’ll be a lot of clubs who will look to snap Darnell up. Any club that’s looking to get promotion from the Championship next season will be looking at him, or a Premier League club could be looking at him as a cover and a player who could come in and do a defensive job.
“It would be a great bit of business.”
Should West Brom keep hold of Darnell Furlong?
Furlong appears an odd choice of player to move on for the Baggies.
The 28-year-old was the club’s most-used outfield player across all competitions in 2023/24, racking up a whopping 4,208 minutes – only goalkeeper Alex Palmer managed more, with 4,320.
Furthermore, the right-back underlined the qualities he brings to the side with a man-of-the-match performance in the 3-0 win over Preston North End on 4 May – the final day of the regular Championship season – which sealed West Brom’s place in the playoffs. He was involved in all three goals on the day, grabbing a goal and an assist and winning a penalty that was scored.
Given Furlong has just one year remaining on his contract and – at the age of 28 – is in his peak rather than a developing talent, the defender does not profile as a particularly saleable asset.
As head coach Carlos Corberan looks to mount a more successful promotion charge next season, he will surely hope crucial players like Furlong are still around to fight for the cause.
In other West Brom news, Ethan Ingram has an opportunity to establish himself at the Hawthorns after receiving a new contract offer.
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