The Athletic’s West Bromwich Albion reporter Steve Madeley recently answered some readers’ questions in a West Brom mailbag article and the journalist discussed the possibility that Albion “won’t fill all of the gaps they might have wanted to in a normal summer” in this current transfer window.
As per the Premier League’s official website, the transfer window opened on 27th July and is set to remain open until the fifth of October.
West Brom are set to compete in the Premier League next season after they earned promotion from the Championship, finishing in second place on the table for the 2019/20 season.
Reports have claimed that Albion ‘need serious reinforcements for next season’ in order to survive in the Premier League, with the Daily Mail reporting that the Baggies ‘want to strengthen’ at centre-back, full-back, attacking midfield, centre-forward and in the goalkeeper position.
However, despite that and despite the fact that they have already seen some players leave the club this summer, West Brom are yet to make their first new signing of the current transfer window, as per Transfermarkt.
During his recent West Brom mailbag, one Baggies fan asked Madeley: “Is there a genuine concern that the budget/availability of players in this window could be an issue for us?”
The Baggies journalist responded to that reader’s question by saying: “I think there is a general expectation clubs will be looking to offload players to save on wages, and equally there won’t be huge budgets for clubs looking to recruit players. For that reason, I think it’s inevitable that Albion won’t fill all of the gaps they might have wanted to in a normal summer. But I think quite a few other clubs will be in a similar boat.”
Will West Brom strengthen in all of the areas that they need to this summer?
YES
NO
TIF Thoughts…
Even before the transfer window opened, reports claimed that the current viral outbreak would have an impact on clubs’ finances and their ability to spend in the transfer market this summer.
As a result, it might not be a surprise that Madeley believes that the Baggies “won’t fill all of the gaps they might have wanted to in a normal summer,” especially when they are reportedly hoping to sign reinforcements in a number of different areas.
While that might concern some Baggies fans, Madeley did also say that he thinks “quite a few other clubs will be in a similar boat,” so perhaps it would not be the end of the world if the Baggies were unable to sign all of their desired transfer targets for the 2020/21 season, provided that they recruit intelligently in the areas that they do manage to strengthen.