West Brom owner Shilen Patel could make a big transfer statement by securing the £6m signing of Mikey Johnston from Celtic.
After years of searching for bargains and free transfers, West Brom will be hoping to be relatively big spenders in the summer market under new owner Shilen Patel.
Whilst the 2023/24 season ended in disappointment for Albion as they were beaten over two legs in the play-offs by Southampton, in the bigger picture, the fans got what they wanted, as Guochuan Lai left the club.
Shilen Patel
The Chinese businessman was an unpopular figure at The Hawthorns for the way he had run the club, and there were serious worries about the Baggies’ future until Patel stepped in.
West Brom’s summer transfer plans
So, now they will look forward with optimism about what the future could hold, and Carlos Corberan will be hoping to be active in the market as he looks to build a team that can compete for automatic promotion next season.
Incredibly, since he was appointed Albion manager back in October 2022, the Spaniard is yet to sign a player for a transfer fee, which speaks volumes as to the restrictions he has been working under.
Now, that should change, and even though spending money doesn’t guarantee success, Corberan will clearly be able to highlight a different calibre of player with Patel’s support.
Mikey Johnston would be a statement signing for West Brom
Yet, perhaps the first cash deal under Corberan should be a player he knows well – Mikey Johnston.
The Ireland international joined Albion from Celtic in the January window, and he was a revelation, scoring seven goals and registering two assists in 20 appearances for the Baggies.
It wasn’t just the productivity, with Johnston scoring some magical goals in those seven, and his dribbling and direct style combined with those excellent finishes made him a joy to watch on occasions.
After years of searching for bargains and free transfers, West Brom will be hoping to be relatively big spenders in the summer market under new owner Shilen Patel.
Whilst the 2023/24 season ended in disappointment for Albion as they were beaten over two legs in the play-offs by Southampton, in the bigger picture, the fans got what they wanted, as Guochuan Lai left the club.
Shilen Patel
The Chinese businessman was an unpopular figure at The Hawthorns for the way he had run the club, and there were serious worries about the Baggies’ future until Patel stepped in.
West Brom’s summer transfer plans
So, now they will look forward with optimism about what the future could hold, and Carlos Corberan will be hoping to be active in the market as he looks to build a team that can compete for automatic promotion next season.
Incredibly, since he was appointed Albion manager back in October 2022, the Spaniard is yet to sign a player for a transfer fee, which speaks volumes as to the restrictions he has been working under.
Now, that should change, and even though spending money doesn’t guarantee success, Corberan will clearly be able to highlight a different calibre of player with Patel’s support.
Mikey Johnston would be a statement signing for West Brom
Yet, perhaps the first cash deal under Corberan should be a player he knows well – Mikey Johnston.
The Ireland international joined Albion from Celtic in the January window, and he was a revelation, scoring seven goals and registering two assists in 20 appearances for the Baggies.
It wasn’t just the productivity, with Johnston scoring some magical goals in those seven, and his dribbling and direct style combined with those excellent finishes made him a joy to watch on occasions.
It’s not just the goals though, as Johnston’s 2.2 dribbles per game demonstrate that he is someone who likes to take risks with the ball, and his big chances created show he could’ve had more assists had his teammates’ finishing improved.
Therefore, bringing him back to the club on a permanent basis seems like a no-brainer, and it has been reported that Johnston is available for £6m.
That might seem like a substantial fee for a Championship side, and you could understand if West Brom tried to negotiate that fee down.
But, ultimately, Celtic are in the driving seat as Johnston still has a few years left on his contract, and they will know that his form in the Championship means Albion are not likely to be his only suitors.
Mikey Johnston for West Brom
With that in mind, Patel should be looking to finalise this agreement swiftly, and if he did back Corberan with a £6m signing it would be a real statement of intent from the new owner.
It would be proof that Albion are serious this season, and he would be backing the boss with a player that he knows well.
There are elements of risk to every transfer out there, but Johnston is just about as safe a bet as you can take due to the loan spell.
That gave Corberan a chance to work with the player on a day-to-day basis, meaning he understands what his character is like, and he knows how he settled into the group and added to the dynamic.
Of course, he’s also seen that Johnston is perfectly capable of handling the Championship, so he’s not an unknown quantity at this level. If you extrapolate his form from 20 games over a full season, we would be talking about a winger who has 15+ goals. When it’s put like that, £6m seems like a bargain!
