West Brom prediction issued under Shilen Patel ownership - he's got 'credit in the bank' | OneFootball

Shilen Patel has been the Baggies' owner since February 2024

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 supporters are hopeful that, in the years to come, their club can end an exile from the Premier League which has lasted since the summer of 2021.

Over the course of recent history, the Baggies have developed the reputation of being one of a handful of 'yo-yo' clubs that are unable to fully bridge the gap between the top flight and the Championship - and one which, in recent seasons, has gotten alarmingly wider due to two seasons where all six newly-promoted sides from the EFL have been unable to consolidate amongst English football's elite.

At present, though, Albion are in the midst of a second full season under the ownership of American businessman, Shilen Patel, who took control of the club in February 2024, much to the delight of the locals in B71 too, as it brought Guochuan Lai's previously tumultuous era as West Brom custodian to its conclusion.

Since then, the club's fortunes have also been increasingly mixed, having also been unable to fully spend the vast majority of funds that were provided by Patel's initial purchase due to repercussions that extended into his opening weeks and months as chairman as a result of the financial state Albion were left in by the aforementioned Lai.

The 43-year-old has already seen a plethora of permanent and temporary managers and head coaches in the dugout during a 20-month period, with Ryan Mason the latest in that regard, as the 34-year-old was handed a three-year contract in June.

His appointment showcased that the hierarchy were thinking about the club's long-term vision, and as a result, FLW's Albion fan pundit, Callum Burgess, backs Patel to eventually oversee a return to the Premier League.

Shilen Patel backed to oversee West Brom, Premier League return - he's well liked by supporters

The Florida-based businessman took control of the club in 2024 after agreeing a £60m takeover deal, at a time where the West Midlands outfit had racked up debts of almost £40m under Lai, who was chairman for just over seven years.

During the early months of his tenure, Patel paid off an outstanding £5m loan owed to Wisdom Smart, and injected £2m-per-month in order to stabilise the club's financial footing whilst they were defeated by Southampton in the play-off semi-finals.

Albion were unable to splash the cash last summer due to another £3.7m loan which was eventually settled, but were still able to unearth gems such as Torbjorn Heggem, who has since been sold to Bologna for £10m, whilst Tom Fellows also moved to Southampton this summer for the same fee, albeit some supporters were left scratching their heads with the latter deal.

However, after a disappointing end to last season which saw the Baggies miss out on the top six, Patel has been praised by Burgess for the way he has helped attempt to change the club's immediate fortunes around, as well as his transparency with supporters.

"I think, following Guochuan Lai's turbulent era and the work Shilen Patel's done since, he's definitely built up a trust with Albion fans and has plenty of credit in the bank," Burgess told FLW.

"Hopefully Albion are able to get into a position where they're very competitive and are close to getting into the Premier League, either this season or the near future," he added.

"I think that Albion fans believe that Shilen Patel could be the man to lead us back to the top flight."

West Bromwich Albion will fancy promotion chances in a wide-open Championship

In truth, it was always going to be challenging for Albion to secure promotion or a play-off spot in the past two seasons, such was the strength of many sides in and around the promotion picture.

Of course, that hasn't changed on paper this season, but in reality, it has been an extremely wide-open start to the Championship season for many clubs, and Albion had initially emerged as one of the early-season front-runners as a result.

The aforementioned Mason has also got the fans onside with a clear tactical identity in the vast majority of encounters, albeit performance levels haven't fully translated into results, such as frustrating home draws and defeats against Portsmouth, Leicester City and Derby County.

It must be said, though, that plenty of new recruits have made immediate impressions, and the squad is set to be further boosted as Tammer Bany and Daryl Dike edge closer to full fitness.