Andrew Nestor shares ‘special’ hope for West Brom after busy end to transfer window
West Brom have crafted a squad intended to help carry Ryan Mason through the Championship season.
Albion’s arrivals have already had a cracking start to the Championship season. Nat Phillips signed for West Brom from Liverpool and netted his first goal for Albion in their 1-0 win over Stoke City.
Meanwhile, Toby Collyer’s West Brom performances have pleased Manchester United fans who are closely following their loanee.
The Baggies’ strong start to the season now means that Mason remains unbeaten in the league as he looks to continue this red-hot form after the international break.
Andrew Nestor hopes West Brom fans recognise their commitment
Sporting director Andrew Nestor ended the summer window with the signing of Samuel Iling-Junior to West Brom on loan from Aston Villa.
Left-back Charlie Taylor also arrived late on at West Brom on loan from Southampton. All in all, the Baggies completed nine transfers during the summer, each of whom fans will be hoping enhance their squad.
And in an interview with West Brom‘s official website, Nestor said he hopes the fans have seen the progress made and continue to develop a relationship with the players and club.
He said: “I think we’re certainly more athletic. There’s more pace, and you can get the ball up the pitch quicker. I also think there’s renewed hunger to succeed within the squad and the club as a whole.
“In terms of the players themselves, we’ve continuously lowered the average age of the squad. In 2023/24, we were one of the oldest squads in terms of playing time, it was near 30 years old. Against Wrexham, it was just under 25 years old.
“But it’s the right kind of balance as well. We have plenty of veteran leadership, and we have guys in their prime. We also have young players as well, and some of those young players are players that we rate as best in the league in their position.”
On the relationship with West Brom fans, he added: “My hope is that supporters see a commitment that our players and coaching staff have. I think that there’s already started to be more of a connection between players and the supporters.
“We can talk about finance and data all day long before people fall asleep. But there are intangibles that I think are really important, and that connection between players, coaching staff, and supporters, that’s something special and something that can carry a team through the ups and downs of a really long season and hopefully create something special in the end.”
How have West Brom fared in summer transfer window?
The Baggies’ main objective for the summer window was to strengthen their core and integrate youth into an ageing squad. It seems that West Brom have achieved that and more.
Some strengths of their window include:
- Young signings: The Baggies signed five players under the age of 25 during the summer, including Aune Heggebo and Alfie Gilchrist
- Defensive boost: From their nine signings, seven were defensive including Collyer who is a defensive midfielder
- Experience: West Brom have also added experience to their squad with the signings of Taylor, Phillips and Chris Mepham
Some weaknesses of their window include:
- Attacking signings: The Baggies window was defensive heavy, with just two attackers added to their squad
- Right-wing option: West Brom failed to find a permanent replacement for Tom Fellows with Iling-Junior arriving on loan
In terms of success in the summer window, the positives far outweigh the negatives. After a strong start to the season, the Baggies have built a squad strong enough to compete.
Sign up for the West Brom News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking West Bromwich Albion news sent straight to your phone.