West Brom man set for surprise transfer move away | OneFootball

Nathaniel Chalobah is on his way to Israel as Maccabi Haifa look to sign the midfielder from West Brom.

Maccabi Haifa keen on Nathaniel Chalobah from West Brom

The 28-year-old only joined Albion in January, agreeing an 18-month contract with Carlos Corberan’s side. However, the Chelsea academy graduate struggled to establish himself as a regular in the XI, and he didn’t always impress when he was on the pitch.

Nevertheless, Chalobah was still expected to be part of the squad moving forward, but it appears he could be on the move, as Telegraph reporter John Percy confirmed he has travelled to Israel to potentially finalise the transfer.

“Nathaniel Chalobah could be the latest departure from West Brom. The former Chelsea midfielder has flown to Israel ahead of a possible permanent move to Maccabi Haifa. Would be another exit to lower West Brom’s wage bill and allow Carlos Corberan some more room to manoeuvre.”

West Brom’s financial issues

As mentioned above, it’s no secret that the Baggies are in a difficult financial position this summer as they prepare for another year in the Championship.

In the bigger picture, fans are desperate for Guochuan Lai to sell the club, but they know until that happens they will need to cut costs, even if the sale of Dara O’Shea to Burnley for £7m has eased any immediate concerns.

But, the rest of the summer is still going to be about trading players to give Corberan the squad he wants, and Chalobah moving on would be a decent start.

Given his pedigree, and the fact he came from a Premier League, it’s natural to think that he is on a decent wage, so getting that off the books is going to help.

For Chalobah, the chance to join Maccabi Haifa is one that will appeal. They are currently playing Champions League qualifiers, and even if they don’t progress to the group stage, there is a very high possibility that they will be playing in some sort of European football this season.

Will West Brom miss Nathaniel Chalobah?

It’s not like Albion have the biggest squad in the league, so any senior first-team player would be missed, but it’s fair to say that this wouldn’t be a massive blow for Albion.

Chalobah wouldn’t be in Corberan’s best XI, and if his departure can help the club keep more important players, such as Jayson Molumby for example, it would be a no-brainer to get this deal done.

West Brom summer transfer plans

It was always going to be a tough summer for Albion, but Corberan was aware of that, so he is fully on board with what’s going on.

Some tough decisions need to be made in the market, and this might be one of those, where he lets Chalobah go in order to bring new faces into the club.