"He'll give them an injection of money" - Carlton Palmer issues West Brom, Shilen Patel claim | OneFootball

The Baggies owner hopes the club can eventually stabilise themselves in the Premier League

Carlton Palmer believes there is a lot of work to be done if West Bromwich Albion are able to fulfil their long-term aims under Shilen Patel's ownership.

The American, alongside his father, acquired an 87.8% stake in the West Midlands club in late February, just months before Carlos Corberan's side reached the Championship play-offs.

After losing 3-0 on aggregate to Southampton over two legs and a high amount of player turnover with savvy investments, the end goal for Albion remains the same, which is to end their exile from the Premier League, having last featured in the top flight four years ago.

After getting off to a relatively strong start to the season, the Baggies have stuttered slightly of late with two defeats and a draw against Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Millwall.

But, that won't have deterred Patel's long-term vision for the club, which he laid out in a recent interview.

Premier League return is the "dream" for Shilen Patel and West Brom

Speaking to the Telegraph last month, Patel stated that his plan is for Albion to return to the Premier League as soon as possible, before looking to cement their position in the top flight once again.

“It’s been a dream and a desire for over two decades to be a part of English football. Not just in any way possible, it needed to be the right club at the right time," he stated.

“Now I’m here it would mean the world to take this club back to the Premier League."

“It’s the primary objective we have," the 44-year-old continued. “I just feel like the Premier League is home for this club – but we have to earn it."

“We know this club can sustain in the Premier League," he added. “We see clubs that are our size or smaller that have found winning strategies to stay there and thrive."

Carlton Palmer issues verdict after Shilen Patel sets out West Brom ambitions

Palmer, who played 121 times for the Baggies between 1984 and 1989 believes that his former club have a lot to do if they are to get back to the top flight, but has praised Patel for his work since becoming its latest custodian.

"It's music to the West Bromwich Albion fans' ears, listening to Shilen Patel saying that West Bromwich Albion belong in the Premier League," he began.

"He's intent on taking them to the next level. And, he's not just talking about staying in, but thriving in the Premier League. That's obviously music to the ears of supporters."

"One thing that fans want to see is exactly what he's done since he took over the football club," the former defender stated.

"He immediately wiped out the £5m, Wisdom Smart loan. Throughout the second half of the season he was putting in £2m per month to keep the club running."

"The summer turnover, which included several big earners who were out-of-contract allowed an opportunity for them to balance the books and Financial Fair Play," Palmer continued.

"He backed Corberan by spending £3m on Mikey Johnston late in the window. He's ploughed £1m into improving the training ground, and most recently, he's wiped out a historic £3.7m loan that was left by previous chairman, Jeremy Peace."

"He's definitely in this for the long haul," the pundit declared. "I think West Bromwich Albion have a lot of work to do if they're to get back to the Premier League."

"They've had a very, very good start to the season. They sit in fourth place on 17 points. It's going to be difficult for them to get out of the league, given what's in the league so far with the likes of Sheffield United, Leeds United and Burnley, who are very strong, and Luton Town who are struggling at the moment."

"It's music to the fans' ears," Palmer repeated. "He's (Patel) prepared to do whatever it takes to get them back to the Premier League."

He concluded: "Hopefully, if West Bromwich Albion can keep doing what they're doing, he'll give them an injection of money in the January transfer window, and maybe they could push on and get promoted."

Ever since Corberan was appointed in October 2022, West Brom have become one of the more dominant sides in the Championship, which resulted in a play-off push last term.

After overseeing a summer of such high turnover, the squad could have somewhat been forgiven for taking time to reset, but that has been far from the case.

Alex Palmer has remained consistent between the sticks, which has therefore allowed the likes of Tom Fellows and Josh Maja in particular to be the main tormentors in chief for the West Midlands side, with the duo leading the scoring and assisting charts respectively.

Albion also lead the way in terms of points accumulated away from home so far, meaning that if their home form this campaign can match or better their tally of 45 points last campaign, they have a great chance of sustaining their promotion bid.

Of course, Patel's actions from a financial point of view, as well as his communication with supporters and vision for the B71 club has to be commended, but that guarantees nothing, as we've seen with a whole host of clubs over the years.

The American will be hoping the players can live up such a billing, and potentially even fast-track his aims.