West Bromwich Albion may need to sell their most valuable assets to balance the books.
West Bromwich Albion may need to make some difficult decisions in January to protect the long-term future of the club.
While murmurs of a potential takeover flutter around the Hawthorns, West Brom fight an ongoing battle both on and off the pitch.
An unsustainable wage bill combined with a lack of investment in personnel, the Baggies are staring down a perilous barrel with aspirations of a Premier League return seemingly little more than a pipe dream.
Summer recruitment was sparse in the Black Country with Jeremy Sarmiento, Josh Maja and Pipa the only new faces at the Hawthorns while numerous young talents and experienced professionals have departed the club, either on temporary or permanent bases.
| West Brom – 2023/24 Departures | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed For | Loan/Permanent |
| Dara O’Shea | Burnley | Permanent (fee involved) |
| Jake Livermore | Watford | Permanent |
| David Button | Reading FC | Permanent |
| Tom Rogic | Without Club | Permanent |
| Karlan Grant | Cardiff City | Loan |
| Taylor Gardner-Hickman | Bristol City | Loan |
| Zac Ashworth | Bolton Wanderers | Loan |
| Ethan Ingram | Salford City | Loan |
| Kean Bryan | Without Club | Permanent |
Nevertheless, a plethora of other stars were touted with late moves while those on the fringes could not find a new club, stalling Albion’s summer plans, resulting in the squad looking rather similar to that of last season.
January, meanwhile, will likely see several other departures, including some unpopular ones, as the West Midlands side urgently look to recoup funds.
Grady Diangana
Diangana probes an intriguing question as to whether the Baggies could recoup a substantial amount of the fee they paid for the winger back in 2021.
The 25-year-old signed from West Ham United after a promising loan spell in the Championship, scoring eight goals with six assists, for a reported fee rising to £18 million.
The West Ham academy graduate has since shown flashes of his technical brilliance and dazzling footwork, playing just shy of 100 league appearances in the top two tiers in the past three seasons.
However, injury concerns and a lack of consistency has presented a somewhat underwhelming few years at the Hawthorns for Diangana, falling some way short of his debut campaign.
Nevertheless, he was reportedly not short of admirers with Leicester City, Leeds United, Burnley as well as clubs from Saudi Arabia interested in the player this summer, according to the Express & Star.
With all aforementioned sides able to spend, Albion could look to recoup a respectable amount with the player perhaps needing a new challenge to rekindle old form, particularly due to the stiff competition he currently faces from the likes of Jed Wallace, Jeremy Sarmiento and John Swift.
Josh Griffiths
The 22-year-old goalkeeper is an experienced option despite his age, totting up more than 100 EFL appearances for Cheltenham Town, Lincoln City, Portsmouth and parent club West Brom in the past three seasons.
The shot-stopper, who helped the Robins lift the League Two title with 21 clean sheets, has proven to be a competent option between the sticks in a position limited for top English talent.
An England U21 international, Griffiths played 10 Championship matches last term in Alex Palmer’s absence and while not one of the senior members of the playing squad, he could be seen as a long-term investment by one of the top teams in the country as a punt for the Three Lions’ future number one.
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