Shilen Patel repeating West Brom mistake involving Daryl Dike & Josh Maja – is has been called a "concern" | OneFootball

FLW’s West Brom fan pundit has issued his thoughts on the concerns he has for Albion under the current ownership.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Brom have had a tough period of financial uncertainty but have finally found stability under controlling shareholder Shilen Patel.

Florida-based businessman Patel remains the club's majority shareholder, acquiring 87.8% of West Brom from ex-owner Guochuan Lai back in February 2024.

Patel made the takeover through one of his and his father, Kiran Patel's, companies, Bilkil Football. The deal took nearly two weeks to go through after it was first announced, but after passing the EFL's tests, he has now led the club forward.

The transition was welcomed by almost all Albion fans, who were desperately seeking a change after a dismal seven-year stint of Lai which involved one promotion, two relegations and a severe lack of investment.

Since Patel has taken over, there has been a more organised transfer policy, people at the top of the building who know what they’re doing with the numbers, and there is a passion to see the club do well again to help them return to being an established Premier League outfit.

They will be hopeful that boss Ryan Mason can help achieve this ambition, with the Baggies making a positive start to the 2025-26 Championship season, although some improvements have to be made if they are to remain towards the top end of the second-tier table.

Reflecting on Patel’s ownership so far in his short time in the Black Country, FLW’s West Brom fan pundit has shared his thoughts on the one concern he has with the ownership model that needs rectifying.

Speaking to Football League World, West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess has outlined that he isn’t the biggest supporter of the Albion hierarchy selling long-standing players for free, and is worried that a continuation of this could leave the squad a lot thinner for next term, whether that be in the Championship or the Premier League.

Callum said: "One of the concerns I’ve got at the minute is that it’s going to be the second summer in a row having key players entering the final years of their contracts.

"Last season saw John Swift, Grady Diangana and Semi Ajayi, players who had been at Albion for a long time leave for nothing, and although they didn’t manage to contribute a huge amount, I think Albion could have worked to get transfer fees for them in the windows before they left.

"This season, we’ve got the likes of Daryl Dike, whose injury history means we probably wouldn’t get much for him anyway, also the likes of Karlan Grant, who we spent £15m on him, and it looks like we aren’t going to get a return on him. Josh Maja, our best striker, and we need to get him tied down to a new contract.

"Then you’ve got the likes of Jed Wallace and Joe Wildsmith as well, so I think it’s important that Albion are in a position where the squad isn’t decimated by players leaving on free transfers."

Lack of suitors down to West Brom free transfer departures

When looking at sales last season for West Brom, it was pretty obvious that a lack of suitors was down to the departures of John Swift, Grady Diangana and Semi Ajayi on free transfers.

Swift and Diangana had flattered to deceive for a number of years before their exits, and their lack of attacking contributions in the second-tier was clearly enough for other clubs to not want to spend a fee on securing their services.

Meanwhile, with Ajayi, he was very injury-prone in his final season, which disrupted a lot of his campaign and was another reason for clubs avoiding pursuing his signature until he was available on a free, with no strings then attached to that gamble.

This season, it’s very much a case of the same thing, with a lot of Albion’s players failing to pull up any trees as their exits from The Hawthorns draw closer.

Daryl Dike’s unfortunate run of injuries means it isn’t worth clubs buying him for any sort of fee, while Karlan Grant’s decline in the blue and white stripes has been evident with the ex-Huddersfield Town man looking a shadow of his former self who scored 18 goals in the 2021-22 campaign.

Club captain Jed Wallace has contributed just two goals and one assist over the last couple of seasons as his next move seems destined to be down the lower ends of the EFL pyramid, and a series of errors from goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith when he earned the number one jersey under Tony Mowbray is likely to lead him to a similar fate, with the duo unlikely to command sizeable fees.

The only player who the Baggies must sign up to a new deal is Josh Maja. Despite the Nigerian international being hampered by injury issues at The Hawthorns himself, he is a clinical frontman who also demonstrates silky link-up play which always makes him an asset to the Albion side when fit.

He showcased at the beginning of last season what he could bring to the table by netting 12 times before lower leg surgery called an end to his campaign at the turn of 2025.

He is one first-team figure who could still be sold for a major profit, and the Baggies must ensure that they get him to agree to a new, long-term contract so they can continue to be the beneficiaries of his talent, while having the option to secure funds from a future sale if they ever need them.

Overall, West Brom fans should be embracing the squad overhaul that is to come over the next few years, with the hierarchy finally digging out some of the deadwood that has been part of the decay of the club for such a long period of time.