West Bromwich Albion Chairman Shilen Patel provides supporters with a summer update as the club continues to prepare for the 2024/25 Sky Bet Championship season.
Dear Baggies fans,
Now the dust has begun to settle on the 2023/24 campaign, I would like to bring supporters up to date on plans for the future of the Albion.
Though the season did not end how we had hoped, I am proud of how the club performed to earn a place in the play-offs, bowing out to promotion-winners Southampton in the semi-finals. The memory of the atmosphere created for the first leg at The Hawthorns will serve as inspiration to push on in our long-term goal of returning to the Premier League.
Our plans for next season stepped up a gear just hours after the final whistle at St Mary’s and we’ve been working daily as a club in the weeks since to prepare for an important summer of player trading. As a group we are committed to finding a way to come back stronger next season and beyond by building solid foundations in the coming months.
The club parted ways with a number of first-team players whose contracts expired at the end of the season, and I would like to thank them all for their contributions. It is only right to single out Matty Phillips who served us with great professionalism during his eight seasons here and I wish him and his family all the very best for the future.
The summer transfer window presents us with both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge will be to operate within the league’s financial rules from the club’s current position. Championship clubs cannot lose more than £39m across three seasons. The club recorded an £11m loss for the 2022/23 season and will confirm another significant deficit for the 2023/24 campaign – our first without Premier League monies in 22 years.
In short, that means we will need to be resourceful, process-driven, and open-minded to get the most out of the flexibility we have or can create in the market. It is never easy to restock a squad, but this summer is also an opportunity to build a foundational sporting philosophy and practices for long-term success. It has been a full-scale collaboration amongst our recruitment staff, Carlos and his coaches, and management to find and secure players representing our game model and long-term vision.
While the financial restrictions mean there is a limit to what we can spend on players, we are able to invest in other areas of the club, namely at our training ground where we are building a second showpiece pitch for the first-team squad. We have also continued to invest in The Hawthorns pitch and other training facilities to ensure the players and Carlos have all the tools they require.
Since our acquisition of Albion in February, we have paid off the Wisdom Smart loan, and are continuing to finance the club which, as you know, has been running at a loss. It is our job this season and beyond to balance the books and grow value in the playing squad. This can only be achieved through prudent and strategic decision-making.
We are also proud to confirm that as of June 2024, our women’s team has been incorporated by the club. It may be surprising to you that this was not already the case but West Bromwich Albion Women, until the start of June, had been operating as a separate company. Though the team had been financed by the club, it simply wasn’t right for that separation to continue. We must now move forward as one and the women’s team will benefit from being a fully-fledged and most-welcome part of the club. I have been wholly impressed by Siobhan Hodgetts-Still’s whole-hearted dedication to the club and the programme and we will continue to work with her to aid the development of the women’s team. In time we hope our women’s team is also ready to mount a promotion challenge.
A real positive since the 2023/24 campaign concluded has been our incredible season ticket numbers, which have to date bettered any prior sales from the last decade and are likely to set a new club record for the second tier. Sales are on track to surpass last season’s total and, with a fair wind, could result in a sell-out, with a waiting list required for next season and beyond.
I in no way take this level of loyalty to the club for granted. It is a reminder of the dedicated support this club has behind it. I am incredibly excited for the future, and I am so pleased to be on this journey with you. As I said from the outset of my tenure, I want this club to be a source of pride for all of you and I believe we can all share that feeling after this season. For the first time in a long time, there is an opportunity for us all to be together as we embark on a new season, pushing as one for the collective good of the football club.
Shilen Patel
CHAIRMAN
West Bromwich Albion FC
