West Brom owner Shilen Patel earns ‘respect’ of EFL expert for steering club away from ‘precipice’

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West Brom are flying high in the league and had a pretty successful transfer window, too. Now, their owner, Shilen Patel, has come in for high praise for the work he’s done over the last few years.

There wasn’t too much to shout about on the final day of the window for West Brom, with only a couple of deals done on deadline day for the Baggies.

Samuel Iling-Junior and Charlie Taylor were the latest West Brom signings this summer. Both of those were loan deals, meaning the Midlands club ended up with a total summer spending of £13m.

Only six teams in the Championship spent more than them, so clearly West Brom and Patel were not holding back when it comes to investing in new talent. Regardless of spending, though, the Baggies chief has been hailed for everything he’s done since taking over in February 2024.

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EFL experts love what West Brom’s owners have done

Discussing what Patel has done this summer, and more generally in the 18 months since he arrived, Not the Top 20’s Ali Maxwell was impressed with the bigger picture despite what he described as a ‘strange’ window.

Maxwell said: “It was a weird week for West Brom. They sold Tom Fellows, Darnell Furlong, and Caleb Taylor. They brought in Chris Mepham, which seems a really smart signing. Alfie Gilchrist, too, from Chelsea. But a bit of a strange end to the window.

“What I respect about West Brom, though, and in particular the owner is that he has been very explicit and honest about the fact transfer funds need to be raised to smooth things over. With PSR done over a rolling period of time, what they walked into was a moment of real distress. They were on the precipice.

“They have communicated that very clearly and in a way that allows the fans to feel like they’re being treated like grown-ups. They can understand and appreciate the ownership coming in to fix the mess, and it’s bought the owners a lot of patience compared to other owners who shut themselves away.”

It’s not the first time Patel has been praised, with former Baggies star Nigel Quashie describing the owner as ‘fearless’ for backing a young manager like Ryan Mason.

The club’s finances may have been a mess when Patel took over, but he himself has commended the facilities at the club, including the Hawthorns and the club’s training ground. Now that the financial situation is improving, West Brom are certainly a team on the rise.

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West Brom had a very successful transfer window, Ryan Mason must be happy

By the end of the window, West Brom signed nine new players. While defensive reinforcements like Mepham, Krystian Bielik, and Nat Phillips are important, it’s the signing of Aune Heggebo that is most exciting.

The Norwegian forward has one assist this season already, but he will be expected to deliver the goals needed to fire West Brom to promotion.

Obviously, the loss of Tom Fellows is a massive blow for West Brom, but they always knew it was coming. They’ll hope that Iling-Junior can fill that void, but it’s a big ask.

Really, though, the best addition West Brom made this summer is hiring Ryan Mason. The young coach comes with top-level experience, a desire to succeed, and incredible tactical knowledge.

All in all, it was a successful summer for West Brom. Now, they need to get the results to prove it.