West Brom are talking to interested parties behind the scenes as Albion look for fresh investment or, preferably, a full takeover
All concerned with West Bromwich Albion are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the ongoing, behind the scenes, process that is currently taking place in the hope that a takeover can be achieved sooner rather than later.
Albion have been treading water for such an extensive period under current incumbent Guochuan Lai that, inevitably in elite football, if you don’t continue striving to move forwards then you will find yourself going backwards. Since Lai purchased Jeremy Peace’s shares in 2016, Albion have suffered two relegations from the Premier League and are currently experiencing their longest spell outside of the top flight in the 21st Century.
In the absence of actual investment from Lai, the club was forced to let players go in the summer in order to help cope with the lack of parachute payments. That process is likely to rekindle in the January transfer window, particularly if no investor or buyer is found and a deal is struck by then.
Furthermore, the club still owes money to their controlling shareholder, which was supposed to be paid back by New Year’s Eve 2022. Even though Lai’s business, West Bromwich Albion Holdings, is now guaranteeing the loan, it has not been paid. Then there’s the £20 million loan that the club has taken on from MSD, which comes with interest and needs to be repaid in the next
The latest development on that front is that Albion have had to go back to MSD. While the takeover process continues and Lai and the club’s board look to assess outside interest and negotiate a sale of his controlling stake, Albion have needed to source more funds to help with the daily operating costs related to the running of the club and while a smaller sum than the original £20m lent to them, this is considered a comfort blanket during this process.
On the pitch Carlos Corberan is keeping Albion as competitive as possible, but away from the field of play the Baggies’ current situation is unsustainable – and it’s now imperative, more so than ever before, that a new person or company takes over at the helm. Lai, who hasn’t been to a game for over 18 months and has never given an interview during his stewardship, will have to accept a serious cut-price offer with Albion’s value dramatically reduced.
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