Lewis Cox on West Brom's Deadline Day business
Lewis Cox on West Brom's Deadline Day business
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00:00Well, hello, everybody. I'm Nathan Judah. I'm delighted to be joined by West Brom reporter extraordinaire, Mr. Lewis Cox.
00:06Lewis, it is deadline day. We're recording this at quarter to eight on Friday, 11 p.m.
00:12The window slams shut, but I believe, and you'll be able to tell me, that West Brom have done all their business.
00:18But the headline, not just of the day, of the month, of the year, was one lonely last year returning on a permanent basis.
00:27And the Baggies fans are buzzing, my friend.
00:31It's a huge deal, Nathan, for the club, on several fronts, really.
00:35Financially, it's a big deal for our win at the minute of this summer, as of this year, as of a few years, really,
00:43if we take into account, you know, minimal to no investment from Gautam Loi, the previous owner, for a good few years.
00:51So, obviously, we all know about that, about the struggles of financial fair play.
00:57But it's a new era now, Bilkow Football, Shillam Patel.
01:01And this is a big statement from the ownership, the club, backing the head coach, Carlos Corbijn.
01:08It's a big statement by everyone. And I think that the fans are rightly on cloud nine with it, I'd say.
01:13I think, as of a few days ago, really, before we brought the story,
01:18I don't think many onlookers would have thought a possibility, really.
01:23I mean, going back a week or so, I'd have to say myself included.
01:28And I think probably Carlos Corbijn this morning, when I saw him for this morning's press conference,
01:33which feels like a long time ago, by the way, 9am today.
01:37Yeah, I think he sort of hinted that maybe ten days, two weeks ago,
01:43he didn't necessarily think it was plausible, possible for Albin to have that kind of outlay.
01:48Then you think of, you know, obviously commanded decent wages, a four-year deal.
01:53Yeah, a massive deal. I mean, we'll just very quickly look, you know,
01:57talk about what last season, the impact he had when he came in on loan from January.
02:01I wrote this today for my money. A huge, huge influence in reaching the playoffs.
02:07Albin were fifth in the championship for a long, long time,
02:09but his injection of quality in the second half of the season, goals he scored,
02:14performance levels assists, phenomenal really for the level in my book and most people.
02:20So I don't think many thought there was a much chance at all of getting him back on a permanent deal at all.
02:24But and obviously Celtic wanted to sell him this summer, made it happen.
02:28And there wasn't a shortage of interest, Nathan.
02:31You know, you talk about championship big hitters, Burnley,
02:34you kind of look at and think of almost really guaranteed championship sort of success in some way or another,
02:39with how they go about things. Scott Parker really, really wanted him, really liked him.
02:43Jeff, you liked him, Middlesbrough liked him, you know, big, big spenders in the division.
02:47So, yeah, it's a huge win for Albin, really.
02:52Bit of news to bring on this video that we haven't been able to confirm yet until now is that,
02:56unfortunately, he won't feature tomorrow against Swansea at the Hawthorns for an immediate debut.
03:01Just a little bit of a shame, but no surprise, really.
03:03I mean, the deal was confirmed today at 3.45 p.m.
03:09Players have to be registered at midday today to be able to feature.
03:13And even though it's been in the works now for a couple of days,
03:15those registrations and, you know, the final bits of the formalities, you know,
03:19the tees and crossing the tees, dotting the i's and all that weren't done in time, unfortunately.
03:24Which, yeah, I'm sure he'll still be at the Hawthorns tomorrow, sort of, you know,
03:27hopefully introduced, paraded maybe, and the fans can enjoy that.
03:30I think there'll be a buzz in the air anyway because of him.
03:32But he won't be involved. So I only think he would have been a sub anyway.
03:36I mean, he's recovering from a fractured eye socket, which requires a mask.
03:39So worry to be involved tomorrow. He'd have been sort of masked up like Zorro from the bench.
03:44But yeah, just a parade job, unfortunately.
03:47And we'll have to wait to the other side of the break.
03:50But that's no bad thing. You know, he can bed him for a couple of weeks, can't he?
03:53He's not on due to Ireland. So just very excited, Nathan.
03:57You know, 10th new signing of the summer. A busy, busy summer.
04:00Both exits and ends. And the most exciting high-profile,
04:06presumably quality deal saved to the very end.
04:08You know, deadline day, the biggest outlay by some distance.
04:12And you're right, you know, it's left fans extremely, you know, pleased, excited, buzzing.
04:17And, you know, caps, what has been, for my money, a very good summer.
04:23About as good as I think anyone could have hoped. And obviously on the pitch,
04:26you know, it's been a very encouraging start to the season.
04:29Yeah. And look, I think many people would have looked at that fee 10 days ago,
04:34two weeks ago, and gone, well, West Brom aren't going to pay that.
04:36But the fact that they've, with the financial restrictions that they've got,
04:39that they've been able to get that move to agree a fee.
04:41Burnley agreed the fee at the same time, but to get him over the line for that.
04:44I mean, it's not chump change, is it? It is great and a great way to finish the window.
04:49Yeah. Yeah, absolutely, Nathan. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, I think back a couple of months now,
04:54there was an open letter from owner Shillam Patel, you know, back in the depths of the summer.
05:01You know, the time where everyone's on holiday and nothing's happening.
05:03And then you're sort of looking at your watch, thinking, hurry up, something.
05:07And the Albion owner, you know, talked about outside the box thinking,
05:12he talked about being resourceful, he talked about being prudent.
05:15And that's been the summer, really. We've seen freeze, we've seen loans,
05:19we've seen sort of nominal fees once or twice.
05:23But as I say, 10 new recruits and three, including Mikey Johnson now, have been paid for transfer fees.
05:31So a lot of wheeling and dealing, I suppose. And let's have it right as well.
05:36Balanced in all by a lot of outgoings, you know, a lot.
05:40It was the big story at the end of last season after the playoff defeat.
05:43A lot of out-of-contract players from a certain age who really had to be let go.
05:47You know, the club had to weigh up on-field prospects.
05:50But most of all, you know, the FFP and it's a hit, isn't it?
05:54When you lose so many players for nothing, it is.
05:56But obviously, some of those players had been long serving and were on, you know,
06:00very decent money that had to be saved. So there was a lot of change ahead.
06:04We knew that. So, you know, it was a borderline new look squad, really.
06:08We've had, as I mentioned, the 10 new signings,
06:10but only one of them in the three league games so far.
06:14Nathan has actually started, you know, and done very well.
06:16So there are new boys, I talked about before, Mikey Johnson in a Callum Styles
06:21and an Udos Rakic who haven't featured yet.
06:24So, you know, we talk about Johnson missing out against Swansea tomorrow,
06:27but the likelihood is there will be debuts.
06:30You know, we imagine an unchanged XI.
06:32So probably from the bench, but there's intrigue around other players as well.
06:35You know, Rakic, massive, powerful midfielder, comes in from the continent,
06:39you know, good pedigree, excitement around him.
06:42So a lot going on, a lot going on this summer, really.
06:45There's, you could probably write a book and a lot to analyse
06:48and kind of reflect on and debate and sort of judge it.
06:52It's hard to really judge until you get really fully stuck into the season, isn't it?
06:57But I think for the restrictions, for the kind of one-handed tie behind the back,
07:03really, in terms of Carlos, Ian Pearce sort of overseeing the business as head of Football Ops
07:09and then Bilkul, you know, Shillam Patel and his team,
07:12Andrew Nesto is on board overseeing that kind of thing.
07:16It's been some effort, actually.
07:17I'd imagine a hell of a lot of work.
07:20Sleepless nights for Corbran, I'm sure.
07:22I'm sure many deals were kind of there and not there, taken away,
07:26and then things come and went.
07:28I mean, Carlos said to us this morning, Mikey Johnson's telling him
07:31after the full-time whistle at St Mary's, in the player heartbreak,
07:34that if Celtic want to sell me, which they did, you know,
07:38I want to come back to West Brom.
07:39I love it here.
07:40And we know Carlos Corbran was absolutely influential in Mikey coming back.
07:45That's, you know, that relationship, that's why it happened.
07:48And that was back in mid to late May.
07:51And here we are on deadline day, basically in September,
07:53having to wait for the deal to happen.
07:54So that's how long these things can and do take in the summer.
07:59And it's, yeah, you have to have patience of a saint, don't you?
08:02And yeah, it's hard for football fans to watch on and us,
08:05you know, in this game, trying to cover it.
08:08Imagine how it feels for those trying to make the deals happen.
08:11Absolutely, Lewis.
08:12And, you know, you look at Carlos Corbran,
08:13I must admit, you know, a month ago, pre-season,
08:16you can see, especially after the Birmingham City result,
08:19you know, he looked a little bit forlorn, a little bit tired.
08:22It was a week before the start of the season.
08:24Yeah, yeah, exactly.
08:25And then, you know, I'm sure you see him today
08:27and it's a completely different figure.
08:28You see someone sprightly, someone who's pumped,
08:30obviously a decent start to the season for West Brom.
08:32And, you know, they've got the crown jewel in Johnson today,
08:37that over the line.
08:37So that's great for Albion going forward.
08:39And I'm sure hopefully they can get three points on Saturday.
08:42And then, like you say, after the international break,
08:44they'll be ready to go.
08:46In terms of outgoings, just a couple of young exits, Lewis.
08:50Yeah, that's right.
08:51Yeah, we've had a nice, relatively calm deadline day,
08:54haven't we, Nathan, which always goes down pretty well.
08:57Obviously, the Mikey Johnson thing was confirmed today,
08:59but we've known about it for a day or two.
09:02In terms of the other business, it started bright and early.
09:04Actually, we had the 9am presser and the 9am news
09:07that Mo Farah, Academy graduate striker,
09:10sort of been on the fringes of senior football
09:12for a couple of years or so.
09:14Spent last season away on loan.
09:15We know in League Two, first of all, with Doncaster,
09:18he did fairly well and then was recalled
09:20and went to Walsall down the road and did OK.
09:24Scored for Albion this season in the AFL Cup defeat, actually.
09:27But I don't, my opinion and how I read it is
09:30I'm not sure, he's 21, Mo Farah striker.
09:33I'm not sure there was a real conviction
09:36that he would ever have cracked it in terms of,
09:39you know, regular Albion influence on the first team.
09:42So there was interest in him from League One,
09:45which is good to see, you know, Wrexham,
09:46ambitious new boys, Barnsley were in as well.
09:49And for Albion to recoup a, you know,
09:51500 grand fee on an Academy graduate profit
09:55is a good deal for all parties, isn't it?
09:57You know, I'm not saying Mo Farah can go out,
09:59not go out to Wrexham and do well.
10:01I'm sure he can.
10:02They've got a great squad for League One
10:04and, you know, wish him well.
10:04Hope he can crack it there.
10:06And I don't, hopefully Albion have got ambitions
10:10not to be in the championship themselves next season.
10:12But I dare say there's a chance that, you know,
10:16Albion could be playing in Wrexham next season,
10:18couldn't they, you know, with wherever Wrexham are.
10:20So that's one thing that's happened today.
10:22The other one at the time of speaking, Nathan,
10:24as you say, it's getting on for eight o'clock, isn't it?
10:26We expect Caleb Taylor, the very highly regarded
10:29Albion centre-half, who's also at 21,
10:31to head out on loan.
10:33He's courted also by League One.
10:35Reported earlier that Wickham,
10:39Wickham Wanderers are sort of leading that chase.
10:41I think there's a good few clubs
10:42that would probably snap your hands off
10:44for a young centre-half like Caleb Taylor,
10:47you know, proper prospect to Albion,
10:49think the world of and have sky-high ambitions for.
10:52And if he can go out, play, you know, 40-odd games,
10:56it would be excellent for him.
10:58He's done it before, but it was a couple of years ago.
11:00Go and do it again now.
11:01And I have absolutely no doubt,
11:03you know, we'll be talking about a first-team player,
11:06you know, come next summer.
11:07But it'll be great for him to go and have that experience.
11:09And that's a really important move for Albion.
11:12Carlos Corbijn said that to me this morning.
11:13So, yeah, I hope Caleb can go and impress
11:16wherever he does land.
11:18And that, as we understand,
11:21as we fully expect, barring something very,
11:24very, very unforeseen in his final couple of hours,
11:26will be that, I'm happy to say.
11:28Fantastic.
11:29Lewis, well, enjoy the game against Swansea tomorrow.
11:31And thank you very much for the update.