Summary West Brom's stuttering start to the season could be sparked into life with a potential takeover deal that is reportedly in the works. The current ownership of Guochuan Lai has limited the club financially, leading to the need to cut costs and potentially face a "fire sale" in January. Talks with potential American investors have already begun, indicating a potential turning point for the club's future and the opportunity to strengthen the squad in the upcoming transfer window.
West Brom have made a stuttering start to their Championship season, but a major off-field development could help spark them into life, according to a new update.
Will West Brom be promoted to the Premier League?
The Baggies were hoping to be one of the early promotion frontrunners in 2023/24, but things haven't panned out that way yet. Heading into the weekend, Carlos Corberan's side found themselves in the bottom half of the table, having struggled to find consistency, and while it is still clearly early days, improvements are needed if they are to look like genuine promotion hopefuls.
Off-field matters aren't necessarily helping West Brom at the moment, with the ownership of Guochuan Lai not going too swimmingly overall, and the Baggies finding themselves limited in a financial sense, unable to bring in sufficient signings.
Many supporters are hoping for a takeover to come to fruition sooner rather than later, and according to a fresh claim, it looks as though they may be set to get their wish.
Will West Brom's takeover go through?
According to Football Insider, there has now been a significant breakthrough regarding the potential takeover of West Brom in the near future:
"West Brom chiefs are growing in confidence that a takeover deal can be agreed this year after holding exploratory talks, sources have told Football Insider. The Baggies have held talks with multiple parties from the US and the Middle East as they look to find suitors to purchase the club from current owner Guochuan Lai.
"As reported by The Telegraph, the Championship side could face a ‘fire sale’ in January if new owners aren’t found. The club has struggled financially under Guochuan Lai and with the Chinese businessman not willing to inject more funds into the club they could be forced to cut costs this winter.
"West Brom already offloaded a number of first-team players in the summer to lower the wage bill, including the sale of Dara O’Shea to Burnley for a fee less than his release clause. With the threat of a January firesale looming in the background, West Brom have begun the process of contacting potential buyers, with talks held with US investors this month."
This is a massive boost for anyone of a West Brom persuasion, assuming they are behind the idea of new owners coming in and moving the club forward, and it could be a big turning point in their future.
As mentioned, it increasingly feels as though Lai's time as owner needs to come to an end in order to put the Baggies in a stronger financial situation and not leave them having to sell players, while having richer owners could transform their fortunes on and off the pitch.
The fact that talks are already reportedly underway with potential American investors can only be a good thing, and it could give Corberan the opportunity to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window should a takeover be completed before then, allowing West Brom to look more formidable in the second half of the season.