Don Goodman calls for West Brom fans to be realistic over transfer activity
Don Goodman does not expect West Brom to splash the cash in the remainder of the summer transfer window, despite Shilen Patel’s takeover.
Patel purchased an 87.8 per cent stake in Albion five months ago amid much fanfare as Guochuan Lai finally departed The Hawthorns.
Many Albion fans were hopeful that would see lots of money spent after a number of transfer windows relying on free agents and loan deals.
However, the Baggies have so far spent just £500,000 on Torbjorn Heggem [Expressen], with Ousmane Diakite and Joe Wildsmith costing nothing.
Goodman believes this is the way things will likely remain as Patel focuses on other aspects during the early stages of his Hawthorns reign.
“Clearly there are still financial constraints at West Brom despite the takeover,” he exclusively told West Brom News. “A lot of debt has been cleared as a priority, while money has also gone into other aspects like the training facilities.
“Corberan, you’d imagine, will have the final say on targets. So there is work to be done bringing more players in, but they will be sensible in not splashing out too much on transfer fees.
“Obviously there’s been massive changes and Shilen Patel has made it clear to supporters that, just because there’s a new owner in place, it doesn’t mean there’s lots of money – they need to manage their money really carefully.
“There’ll be wheeling and dealing at West Brom, with many already leaving and some others potentially still to move on. So there’s a lot of unknown at West Brom at the moment.”
West Brom could do with at least one marquee signing
The priority for Patel in his early months at The Hawthorns was always going to be steadying the ship in terms of finances.
Lai left behind a mess, which is thankfully now being rectified, while money is also being put into other areas of the club such as training facilities.
That said, after coming so close to promotion last season, supporters are desperate to see Albion remain competitive in 2024-25.
After seeing some key players depart, with one or two more perhaps set to follow, it is imperative the Baggies bring in some quality additions.
Sorba Thomas is hardly a name supporters will scream from the rooftops, but his arrival for £1million [The Sun] would make a massive difference.
Even if further low-key signings are made, Carlos Corberan has showed he has what it takes to get everything out of this squad.
Let’s hope Patel reaches into his pocket and spends money on another couple of players to ensure a top-six finish is once again attainable.
In other West Brom news, Goodman has named the Albion player who is now worth “a heck of a lot more” than he was when arriving.
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