Shilen Patel sends message to West Brom fans on New Year’s Day
Shilen Patel has addressed West Brom supporters with a rallying message on social media as the New Year begins.
The Baggies chairman posted on X [1 January] to briefly reflect on 2024 as the year he “joined the Albion family”, assuring fans at The Hawthorns that the near future will be bright as they gear up to face Preston North End in the first fixture of the calendar year.
Albion are still in the process of appointing a successor to Carlos Corberan, after the play-off-reaching manager departed for Valencia over the Christmas period.
Patel stated: “I’ll always remember 2024 as the year that I joined the Albion family.
“Every new year is a fresh chance for growth and to build on what has come before, and we will all be doing our best to make 2025 a year where WBA honours its legacy and drives towards a brighter future.”
West Brom ready for clean slate in 2025
West Brom essentially have a blank canvas to work with following the turn of the year, as Patel and Andrew Nestor head up the recruitment process for Corberan’s successor.
Several managers of a strong profile have been linked with the role, with Albion seemingly open to parting with a compensation fee to acquire their first-choice option.
The Baggies’ January transfer activity is an intriguing factor to monitor, too, given they spent much of the summer window operating with their hands largely tied.
Ahead of the fixture against Preston at The Hawthorns – which could be Chris Brunt’s final match in interim charge – Albion sit eighth in the Championship table, a single point outside the play-offs and having drawn half of their 24 league fixtures.
If the new figure at the helm can help inspire tilting those draws into wins, their new side will have every chance of stealing back into the top six and giving themselves another shot at a top-flight return.
In other West Brom news, a hugely surprise candidate has emerged in the running for the manager’s job.
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