What West Brom points deduction update could mean for Leicester City, Portsmouth and Oxford | OneFootball

West Brom's potential points deduction could be good news for fellow Championship relegation candidates

West Bromwich Albion could well face a point deduction late in this campaign, which will almost certainly have major ramifications at the foot of the Championship table, as fellow relegation candidates will be keeping their fingers crossed.

There will be few clubs more keen to see the back of the 2025/26 season than West Brom.

Heading into the year, Ryan Mason's appointment at the helm was greeted with a sense of optimism, and though the former Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City midfielder started his first managerial role strongly, things slowly tailed off.

Mason put up a strong fight to keep his post at the Hawthorns. However, with the Baggies languishing towards the bottom of the table, he was dismissed and replaced by Welsh coach Eric Ramsay.

Ramsay had previously been managing in MLS with Minnesota United, and made the switch to the Black Country, though his time at the helm was about as disastrous as it could get, winless in each of his eight games in charge.

With West Brom's position growing increasingly tenuous towards the foot of the division, James Morrison, a former fan favourite, was chosen as the person to drag them out of danger, and whilst their recent form has been solid, a fresh blow could well have huge ramifications for their survival hopes.

With just four games to go, West Brom sit two points clear of the relegation zone above Oxford, though Portsmouth, who sit directly beneath them, have a game in hand and are just merely one point behind them.

The Telegraph's John Percy reported on Monday morning that the Baggies have been charged with an alleged breach of profit and sustainability rules, as a point deduction is a very real possibility for the club.

The severity of the breach, at this point, is unclear, and how many points they could potentially be deducted also remains up for debate, though with each point being crucial at this stage, any deduction would be a disaster for the club.

West Brom are said to delay any sort of punishment until next season, and given their current situation, it's clear to see why.

The Baggies are far from safe, and this news will have the likes of Leicester, Oxford, and Portsmouth all keeping their fingers crossed.

Whilst not in the spirit of the game, relegation to League One could have a catastrophic impact financially on any club that faces demotion, with West Brom certainly being no exception to that.

Indeed, Leicester, too, had a six-point deduction earlier this season, and find themselves four points adrift in the bottom three as things stand, and without that deduction, would be above the Baggies in 20th.

It would be difficult to deny that praying for a point deduction for any side is an unsportsmanlike take to have on the matter, though, for the clubs embroiled in the battle at the foot of the table, they will be quietly keeping their fingers crossed that the decision the EFL comes to on the situation directly benefits them.

Both Blackburn and Charlton, who sit two points and three points above them respectively as things stand, are also not out of danger just yet, and they too will be hoping that any punishment boosts their own survival hopes.

For West Brom, they must hope any punishment, whether that be a point deduction, transfer ban, or fine, happens next season in any instance, and not this one.

This will comfortably be the Baggies' worst league finish in 25 years, whatever the outcome, and the club's supporters will be praying that things don't go from bad to worse.

As for their relegation rivals, survival by any means necessary means they would likely welcome a point deduction for the Baggies, as everyone around the foot of the table will be holding their breath on the outcome of this alleged breach.

James Morrison will be urging his West Brom side to focus on what happens on the pitch amid a potential point deduction

Given the circumstances, there is little that West Brom can do now at this stage to avoid this penalty.

Whilst no point deduction this season is guaranteed, it should only serve to fuel James Morrison and his side to go out and claim as many points as possible before the end of the campaign.

As things stand, the Baggies have their Championship status in their own hands, and with the club currently going seven matches unbeaten, spirits will be high around the Hawthorns, despite the recent news.

An away trip to Preston, followed by home clashes against Watford and Ipswich, before an away trip to already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday on the final day, is what is to come for West Brom, as Morrison will be fully focused on each game as it comes, and encouraging his side to block out the outside noise.

Their second-tier status may well go down to the wire, though Morrison will be doing everything in his power to ensure that survival is secured by any means necessary, as they and their fellow relegation candidates await the outcome of this situation.