"The one demand I have for Shilen Patel" - Clear message sent to West Brom owner | OneFootball

The new Baggies owner has made a positive impression on the Albion fanbase so far

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…

It has been seven months since Shilen Patel’s takeover of West Bromwich Albion was completed, and the feeling around The Hawthorns has seemingly been one of positivity ever since.

After missing out in the Championship play-offs last season at the semi-final stage, the Baggies are back with a vengeance in the 2024/25 campaign, with Carlos Corberan continuing where he left off with a side that is firing on all cylinders.

With just two defeats to their name so far in the current campaign, Albion are once again back among the promotion-chasing pack at the top of the table, with Patel and his manager seemingly striking a top working relationship from the get-go.

With that in mind, we asked Football League World’s resident Albion fan Callum Burgess if there is anything he would demand of the owner at this moment in time, with things looking as bright as they have been for some time at the Hawthorns of late.

Shilen Patel urged to continue upward spiral in charge of West Bromwich Albion

Patel has already sought to make improvements both on and off the field since taking over at the Hawthorns, with a £1 million investment into the training ground confirmed back in the summer.

Those sort of investments, as well as shrewd acquisitions in terms of playing personnel, has set Albion up for a promising season ahead, as their early form in the current campaign shows.

With the mood round the club looking so bright at this moment in time, Burgess is keen for that feel good attitude to remain in place, with harmony across the club from top to bottom.

When asked what one demand he would have of the club’s current owner at this moment in time, Burgess said: “The one demand I have for Shilen Patel, is that he continues to keep the positive trajectory he has had at the club, and the impact he has had over a short amount of time since he has taken over the club.

“It does feel like the club can only go up since he took over, and it is really promising at the moment; he is investing in the training ground.

“He has also backed Carlos Corberan in the transfer market, bringing in the likes of Mikey Johnston back to the club, where most Albion fans thought that it would be unprecedented that he would be brought back.

“That’s another positive signing, he might not have lived up to last seasons expectations, but Mikey Johnston is a player that we know has got it in him to deliver.”

Mikey Johnston transfer deal is sign of West Bromwich Albion’s Premier League ambition

West Brom had to act with one hand tied behind their back throughout the summer transfer window, with the EFL imposing a business plan which hampered any major transfer deals they may have been targeting, due to previous financial considerations.

With that in mind, the club had to scour the transfer market for the best bargain buys they could, with Corberan left to piece together the parts he had at his disposal, with the results plain to see in the Championship so far.

One signing that Patel did allow was the deal to bring Mikey Johnston back to the club, following his successful loan signing from Celtic in the previous campaign.

With seven goals in 18 appearances, the Republic of Ireland international proved he could be the difference in the season ahead, so to recapture him ahead of the upcoming campaign was seen as something of a coup for the Black County outfit.

With hopes of going one better than last season’s playoff semi-final disappointment, such a high-calibre signing could make all the difference in the year to come, with Burgess underlining how pivotal Patel’s sanctioning of the deal could be.

He continued: “The fact that Johnston was someone that Carlos Corberan really wanted to bring in to the club and Shilen Patel backed that up, which shows he can commit to his manager’s wishes.

“So I would say keep committing to the club, see how far he can take us, because there is no doubt we have Premier League ambitions and making Albion a committed and long-standing Premier League member once again under his regime.”