West Brom player exit held up as clarity sought on ‘strange’ transfer rule
West Brom have hit a “strange” roadblock in their attempts to loan out Eseosa Sule.
Sule has been starring for West Brom’s Under-21s in recent times, and Albion are keen to get him some more senior experience before Monday’s deadline.
West Brom have done precious little transfer business in this winter window so far, with Eric Ramsay welcoming just one new arrival in the form of goalkeeper Max O’Leary from Bristol City.
Albion are hoping to change that before the window shuts, with Baggies chiefs understood to be working hard to see if they can make a signing or two to bolster Ramsay’s options for the rest of the campaign.
West Brom seek legislation clarity regarding Eseosa Sule transfer
Sule returned to West Brom at the beginning of January, having seen his loan deal with Scottish Premiership side Motherwell cancelled.
The 19-year-old striker made just three appearances for Motherwell during his time there, with all of those coming in the League Cup.
As such, West Brom chiefs evidently felt as though he wasn’t going to make much progress at Fir Park, and summoned him back to The Hawthorns with the view of sending him out on another more beneficial loan.
Sule was born in Glasgow, and spent just over a decade with Celtic before being signed by West Brom in January 2023.
Now, as revealed in Friday’s print edition of the Daily Record, Scottish Championship side Partick Thistle are hoping to sign Sule on loan before the deadline.
Sule is said to be keen on the move to the Glasgow-based outfit. However, Partick manager Mark Wilson is unsure of whether his side will be allowed to sign him due to unclear Premier League 2 registration rules.
“With the three club rule, we’re trying to clarify if the Premier League 2 is classed as a development league. It’s a real strange one,” said Wilson.
Why Sule playing Premier League 2 football could stop West Brom exit
As per Sofascore, Sule has made two appearances in Premier League 2 for West Brom’s Under-21 side in 2025-26, scoring once.
This is presenting the problem that Wilson and Partick Thistle are attempting to get confirmation on, as under FIFA regulations, a player is not permitted to play in official matches for more than two different clubs in one season.
So, if the Premier League 2 isn’t classed as a developmental league, then Sule has already represented both West Brom and Motherwell this season, and so wouldn’t then be able to play for Partick Thistle too.
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