Carlton Palmer has described West Brom’s proposed takeover as “important” as it is “imperative” that the Baggies are sold quickly.
Albion director Mark Miles confirmed on Tuesday [Express & Star, 26 September] that talks had taken place with prospective new owners over the possibility of a £35million sale.
The Baggies were reportedly in talks with multiple potential buyers in the Middle East and the United States with those currently in charge at The Hawthorns eager to sell the club before the turn of the year, having hoped to complete a deal worth £50million [Daily Mail, 20 September].
Discussing the state of the deal with Football League World (29 September) former Baggies midfielder Palmer said: “There are more talks ongoing about a new owner at WBA, this is vital this happens, and happens quickly.
“Guochuan Lai is looking to sell the club and would accept £50million, which is significantly less than what he paid for the club at the time, £200million. They currently sit 13th in the Championship, drawing their last three games.
“The club is selling all of their best players in the summer to balance the books and not replacing them with anywhere near the same quality. It’s imperative the sale goes through quickly to give the club a chance of trying to get back to the Premier League sooner rather than later.”
Everyone around The Hawthorns knows just how important it is that the Baggies can get a takeover over the line as quickly as possible, as the current ownership model will only see the Albion heading in one direction and it won’t be back to the Premier League.
Carlos Corberan was unable to spend money on a single transfer this summer, being left to deal in loan agreements and the free-agent market and while he was able to pick up some quality in the likes of Jeremy Sarmiento and Josh Maja, the Baggies’ squad looks slightly too weak for a play-off challenge.
Add to that the loans that West Brom are having to pay back to their current loans which have exorbitant interest rates [Kieran Maguire, 25 September] and it becomes abundantly clear that the current people in charge at The Hawthorns do not have the club’s best interests at heart.
Hopefully, Palmer’s prediction is true and Albion can find an owner who will help them return to the Premier League, but the Baggies must ensure that they don’t rush any potential sale and end up with another owner who uses the club like a toy in their collection.