"One of our biggest downfalls" - West Brom criticised over £20m Arsenal, Man City transfer miss (Fan view) | OneFootball

FLW's West Bromwich Albion fan pundit believes that the club got it wrong in not selling Johnny Evans to Premier League rivals.

Highlights

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...

Getting it right in the transfer window is never easy, but often this is where clubs build their success or fall apart. Indeed, it is not just about signing the right players, but it is also about knowing when the time is right to move your players on.

One player who has had his fair share of transfers during his career is Jonny Evans. Now at Manchester United, where he started his career, the player also enjoyed spells at Sunderland, Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion.

Although the defender spent three years at the Hawthorns, the club made a loss on the Northern Irishman. If they had sold the centre-back at the right time, then it would have brought a significant payday, with money to spend on the rest of the squad.

WBA should have cashed in on Evans earlier

The Baggies eventually sold Evans to Leicester for a fee of £3.5 million, which was paid in two installments. If the club had decided to sell the player slightly sooner, then they could have received at least £20 million for his services.

FLW's West Bromwich Albion fan pundit, Matt, believes that the Baggies made a mistake in not cashing in on Evans sooner, whilst Arsenal and City were said to be lurking and some reports had an agreed fee at around £20 million.

Speaking to Football League World, Matt said: "One of our biggest downfalls has not been selling players at the right time, not letting players go. A good example of that is Johnny Evans.

"We were getting offers of £20 - £23 million in January 2018 and the summer of 2017. £20 million for a player in his late twenties.

"Yes, he was our best player and our captain, but there has to be a succession plan. You’ve seen all the best clubs and the clubs in modern times that have really grown and developed and done so well in the Premier League, were those that have sold players at the right time, and we didn’t do that. "Obviously, Manchester City and Arsenal were those who were linked with Evans, and it’s not like we were strengthening a rival. Yes, you’ve got to be ambitious and try and keep your best players. I think January was the perfect time to let him go, and we would have been able to invest that money in players that may have been able to keep us up.

"Also, we were better without Evans that year at the start of the window. In January, we won all our games without Evans, all bar one. He was a class act, but we were better without him, so it would have made more sense to sell him.

"I recall Pardew saying he wasn't going to sell his best player and captain, but even though he is that, you’ve still got to make your mind up and look at the decision carefully. When you’re getting at least £20 million for him, a 29-year-old, a player who was almost 30, you’ve got to consider it and that is one time that we got it wrong.

WBA made a loss on Evans

In not cashing in on Evans, the Baggies missed out on a significant profit for the then 29-year-old and eventually made a loss on the Northern Irishman. Having been relegated from the Premier League, the club were forced to sell Evans at a far cheaper price.

West Brom signed Evans for an initial £6 million, which rose to £8 with add-ons in the summer of 2015. In selling him £3.5 million in installments, the club made a loss of more than half of what they paid for him. If they had sold him earlier, they could have made a profit in the region of £12 - 15 million.

The Northern Irishman went on to play for Leicester for five years, proving to be good business for the Foxes. In 2023, he rejoined United, where he has played a pivotal role given the club's injury problems at centre-back.

Understandably, it can be extremely tempting for clubs to hold on to their best talents, but sometimes it can do more harm than good. In suffering relegation, the Baggies paid the price for not cashing-in on Evans.

Many clubs have proven that selling their best players does not mean suffering on the pitch. Brentford are a prime example of that. Having let the likes of Neil Maupay and Ollie Watkins depart, they found suitable replacements and still achieved promotion to the Premier League.