West Brom will always regret £2m Ipswich Town transfer - a "mistake" was made involving Joe Wildsmith | OneFootball

Alex Palmer was arguably let go far too cheaply by West Bromwich Albion to Ipswich Town

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 Bromwich Albion's transfer activity in the past two windows has certainly been intriguing and therefore, has contributed to a strong mix of opinions from those in the stands at The Hawthorns.

Albion are looking to regain their position as one of the Championship's best-performing sides under Ryan Mason after a chaotic season last time out due to an array of permanent and interim managers and head coaches, as well as some rather confusing transfer business.

It was alarming to Baggies supporters when, just weeks after they saw their highly-rated boss, Carlos Corberan, make the critical decision to move to his hometown club of Valencia in La Liga, that they would bid farewell to another key asset among the ranks in the form of Alex Palmer, who has since asserted himself as Ipswich Town's starting goalkeeper, and he is set to reunite with the West Midlands side this term following the Tractor Boys' immediate relegation back to the second-tier under Kieran McKenna.

West Brom transfer regret issued on previous £2m, Ipswich Town agreement for Alex Palmer - it involves Joe Wildsmith

Palmer's career to-date has certainly been an intriguing watch, having been forced to bide his time for several years after coming through the academy ranks in B71 due to the performances of Ben Foster and Sam Johnstone, in particular, as the club's starting option between the sticks,

After making his competitive debut for the club in August 2021, the Kidderminster-born shot-stopper was eventually handed his league bow in October 2022, just weeks before Corberan's appointment after a disastrous start to the 2022/23 campaign.

It proved to be a shrewd decision though, as Palmer kept a total of 41 clean sheets in just 104 appearances between then and his departure in January, with not many Albion fans begrudging him of a top-flight move after becoming one of the Championship's standout goalkeepers.

However, as explained by Football League World's West Brom fan pundit, Callum Burgess, the main gripe among supporters is the minimal £2m fee received for his services and the decision to immediately replace Palmer with Joe Wildsmith rather than Mason's first-choice option of Josh Griffiths.

"At the time, £2m felt really, really low for Alex Palmer," Burgess told FLW.

"The general consensus is that's still the case. He's one of the best goalkeepers in the Championship.

"The value at the time, even though he had 18 months left on his contract, was far too cheap compared to what Albion should've been looking for.

"I think the mistake we made was replacing him with Wildsmith instead of Griffiths right from the start," Burgess explained.

"Wildsmith had spent the majority of the past two seasons on the bench and didn't really convince any Albion fans that he'd be the long-term choice.

"Griffiths had done well on loan at Bristol Rovers, and the feeling was he'd come back and push for the number-one spot straight away.

"He had to bide his time, but going into the summer, the idea was that Albion could've looked for a goalkeeper. But, I think he's made that number-one spot his own, keeping two clean sheets, and the goals we've conceded, you couldn't put much blame on him.

"I think, overall, we should've got more for Palmer and that Griffiths should have gone in instead of Wildsmith immediately."

Josh Griffiths and Alex Palmer could both have major impacts for West Brom and Ipswich Town this season

Both Palmer and Griffiths are exceptionally strong goalkeepers in their own right, and will be expected to have a major impact on their respective club's fortunes for the remainder of the season.

However, unlike the fee which was garnered for Torbjorn Heggem's move to Bologna, Palmer's departure falls under the same bracket as Tom Fellows' switch to Southampton, which many believe should have been greater than £10m.

Griffiths has been a steady pair of hands for Albion in the early part of this season too, proving exactly why many supporters wanted to see him being presented with the opportunity back in January, which could have altered the overall fortunes of their campaign, as Wildsmith failed to cover himself in glory on a handful of occasions.