West Brom and Ipswich Town facing same £5m transfer regret | OneFootball

Both West Brom and Ipswich Town may share regrets over the £2 million deal for goalkeeper Alex Palmer

West Bromwich Albion and Ipswich Town have had two very contrasting seasons, yet both will share similar regrets over a deal made between the two clubs in the summer of 2024.

At the Hawthorns, things have gone far from planned for West Brom, with the Baggies finding themselves embroiled in a real relegation battle and looking for their third permanent head coach of the season.

Ryan Mason's tenure came to a disappointing end, with the former Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City midfielder's away record in particular proving to be his undoing, as he was replaced by Welsh boss Eric Ramsay in January.

However, Ramsay's time at the helm would be even worse, with the former Minnesota United boss lasting just eight games in charge, victorious in none and leaving the club in real danger at the bottom.

Ipswich, meanwhile, although they have not hit the heights many had expected them to at the beginning of the campaign, will almost certainly prefer their current position over the Baggies'.

The Tractor Boys are well-placed for a spot in the top six this season, and remain strong contenders for a place in the top two if they can maintain form.

Both clubs, although they are separated by almost 30 points in the table, share a common problem that neither has been able to easily fix this season, and their deal back in the summer of 2024 may be the crux of both of their issues.

Alex Palmer left West Brom for Ipswich Town in a potential £5 million deal

Following Ipswich's miraculous promotion to the Premier League in 2024, Kieran McKenna's side were going to need to heavily invest in the squad to prepare the club for top-flight football, with much of the same group that had earned them promotion to the Championship just a year prior.

Czech goalkeeper Valcav Hladky has been the number one between the sticks at Portman Road on their way to the Premier League, though McKenna sought fresh blood in goal, knowing the number of shots they would face in the top flight would drastically increase.

Arijanet Muric was signed from Burnley to become the club's new starting shot-stopper that summer, but with the Kosovan evidently struggling to adapt to life in Suffolk, once January came around, West Brom's Alex Palmer was identified and signed in a potential £5 million deal to offer competition.

Palmer came through the ranks at West Brom and spent the bulk of his career out on loan before establishing himself as the first-choice option at the Hawthorns in the 2023/24 season.

He'd replace Muric in goal for the rest of the top-flight season upon his arrival, making 13 league appearances, though he could not prevent the club from suffering an immediate relegation back to the Championship.

Meanwhile, Joe Wildsmith and Joshua Griffiths would share goalkeeping duties at West Brom for the rest of that campaign, as the latter would take the mantle of the club's number one heading into this season, as did Palmer at Ipswich, though things have gone far from planned at both clubs.

Kieran McKenna has seemingly lost faith in Alex Palmer, as the transfer has not worked out for either West Brom or Ipswich Town

Palmer came into this season as Ipswich's first-choice between the sticks, ahead of Christian Walton and David Button. However, the 29-year-old sustained a calf injury in their 3-0 home defeat to Charlton Athletic in October, and has since lost his place to the aforementioned Walton.

Since Palmer's injury, Walton has been the club's main man in goal ever since, and although he has not been faultless, his presence has not seen Ipswich's form take a downward turn.

His displays with the gloves have cemented his place as Ipswich's number one, for now, leaving Palmer out in the cold upon his return from injury, with a less-than-confident performance in the FA Cup against Wrexham doing him no favours.

At the Hawthorns, neither Griffiths nor Wildsmith have displayed the confidence or performances required from them this campaign, leading to the arrival of Bristol City's Max O'Leary in January to steady things up.

Though O'Leary hasn't exactly performed much better, as the Baggies must wish they had someone like Palmer in goal right now, with his displays with the Baggies helping him earn the move to Ipswich in the first place.

Palmer would love more game time, West Brom needs a solid choice in goal, and Ipswich currently have no place in the side for the 29-year-old, as a reunion would likely be welcomed by all parties at this stage.

However, West Brom must find a way to secure their status in the Championship without Palmer, as the goalkeeper must fight for his place back in the side if he wants another shot at Premier League football next season.