Last week it was finally confirmed that American Businessman Shilen Patel has completed his takeover of West Bromwich Albion. Him and his father Kiran C. Patel have acquired a 87.8% stake in one of the oldest football clubs in the country. The younger Patel was also announced as the new chairman of the club.
Albion fans have endured a torrid period of poor ownership since previous owner Guochuan Lai took over in 2016. His carelessness and lack of presence at the club quickly turned fans against him. He took loans that were never repaid, he never turned up for games, he gave managers low transfer budgets, the list is endless. Baggies were longing for Lai to give up his stronghold and in the last few months he finally ceased.
The Patel takeover ignites a promising new dawn for West Brom, and fans seem ecstatic as the possibilities of 'proper' ownership, something they have not been accustomed to for some time. Football has, like other sports, become mostly about money. Whoever has the most money can spend boatloads on the best players to have the best squad. This season, Spanish manager Carlos Corberan has worked wonders with a thin squad a striker injury crisis. In the last few games, Albion have had to play without an out-and-out forward up top, with captain Jed Wallace filling in the number nine role. Considering the limited resources, the fact that West Brom sit in fifth place with ten games to go is something to be applauded. Especially when before the season, things were looking slightly bleak for the Black Country side, and they were tipped to finish mid table, top half at best.
The strength of the top four means that promotion is still unlikely for West Brom this season. But the Championship playoffs have long provided a chance for shocks and surprises, with the sheer pressure that is on the line. No matter the opposition, Albion will still back themselves to beat whoever they come up against, should they hold onto their playoff place. But the arrival of new ownership means the future now looks more promising than before, and they can look to reinforce in the summer. If they were to be unfortunate this season, they could build for next season to ensure that they have the squad and the mentality to push for automatic promotion next campaign. Carlos Corberan has installed a hard-working and well structured team, and it looks like he is here to stay.
Finally, West Bromwich Albion look to be on the rise again, and a return to the Premier League is very much a possibility in the near future.