How West Brom could free up £50k p/w on their wage bill in January | OneFootball

West Brom could save an important piece of their financial budget in January with the departures of Paddy McNair and Jed Wallace.

West Bromwich Albion are likely to rely on outgoings from the club in order to sanction arrivals during the January transfer window.

During the summer, the Baggies were set under an EFL-imposed business plan to avoid breaking Profit and Sustainability rules (PSR), and it is likely that more high-earners will have to depart The Hawthorns in the near future for the club to become more free-spending under new controlling shareholder Shilen Patel.

Albion will have some key decisions to make as the new year rolls around, with this period set to be crucial towards where the Black Country outfit finishes in the second-tier table come the end of the season.

Here at Football League World, we look at how the Baggies can free up an estimated £50,000 a week on the wage bill with the departures of two senior figures.

We must stress all wage values are from Capology and are an estimate.

Northern Ireland international Paddy McNair moved to The Hawthorns as one of 11 fresh faces during the summer transfer window from MLS outfit San Diego.

The former Middlesbrough defender was added to the group to provide a much-needed resolute edge to the Baggies backline after the departure of Cedric Kipre, with heaps of Championship experience over his career.

Since joining the Baggies, Capology estimates the 29-year-old is on £25,000 per week, ranking as the joint-third highest-paid player in the first-team squad.

This means that Albion are paying around £650,000 for McNair’s services on a six-month loan deal, contributing to over £21 million that the Baggies are estimated to pay per year on their players’ salaries.

Much of McNair’s Albion career has been spent on the treatment table, with a hamstring injury against Cardiff City back in October hampering any potential progress he could have made under Carlos Corberan.

With his loan move ticking down and very little first team minutes secured, saving £25,000 per week on McNair’s wages will be a welcome relief to the club, as they will be able to invest the saved funds into future targets to bolster their defence.

Jed Wallace’s West Brom estimated wage and Albion career

Club captain Jed Wallace enters his third season with the Baggies after arriving on a free transfer back in 2022 from Millwall.

With an impressive reputation in the Championship from his time with the Lions, Wallace has been a vocal leader in the Albion squad, featuring heavily in last season’s success of reaching the play-off semi-finals.

However, the wideman has been pushed out of a consistent run of first-team starts due to the emergence of Tom Fellows on the right flank, who continues to be a standout talent in the second tier with some eye-catching displays.

An estimate from Capology reveals that Wallace is also on £25,000 a week, taking up a large chunk of the Baggies’ wage budget.

He's unlikely to be short of suitors given he is a proven quantity at Championship level so it would likely not be hard to find a destination for him in January – even if Albion still had to cover some of his wages.