Shilen Patel alarm bells ringing as West Brom lead unwanted Championship chart
West Brom chairman Shilen Patel is likely to be concerned about Albion’s financial position in the Championship.
The Baggies have struggled in recent weeks under Tony Mowbray, winning just one in their last five games in the second tier.
Their most recent defeat came against Norwich City as Josh Sargent netted a last-minute winner to leave the Black Country side sixth in the table.
Although this will come as a concern at The Hawthorns, it is the financial development at B71 that will worry Patel ahead of the summer.
Patel worry emerges amid West Brom financial blow
The West Midlands outfit have continuously dealt with monetary issues in recent years but that appeared to be in the past with the new ownership.
That has been the case to an extent, as any worries of points deductions have been removed, allowing for a focus on footballing matters moving forward.
This has seen plenty of additions come in, in the most recent transfer windows, including the likes of Isaac Price and Mikey Johnston, who both came in for sizable fees.
| Player | From | Fee |
| Torbjorn Heggem | Brommapojkarna | £506k |
| Callum Styles | Barnlsey | £506k |
| Michael Johnston | Celtic | £2.9m |
| Isaac Price | Standard Liege | £2.7m |
| Tammer Bany | Randers | £3.4m |
Despite the positivity surrounding this, Patel now has cause for concern after Albion’s finances were shared via the Swiss Ramble (31 March).
This reported that the Baggies suffered from a “substantial reduction in revenue” but only lowered their wage bill by £3million, approximately 7 per cent.
This was done as the hierarchy attempted to maintain the strongest possible squad, but that meant the wages to turnover ratio clocked up to 152 per cent.
This was the highest in the entire Championship but hasn’t necessarily helped as B71 club sit 26 points off Sheffield United in top spot.
West Brom relying on promotion for financial safety
There have been a huge number of clubs who have hurt themselves for the long term to try and earn a spot in the Premier League.
Midlands rivals Aston Villa are a key example.
After failing to win the playoffs in 2018, administration was just hours away until their current owners came in.
This sort of risk can not be taken at The Hawthorns as Albion may not make it through such an event as unsathed as Villa.
Patel has some work to do in the summer, alongside Mowbray if promotion isn’t earned, to build a competitive yet financially viable squad.