Since Carlos Corberan’s arrival at B71 in October 2022, West Bromwich Albion (the Baggies) has shown consistent excellence. Under his leadership, the Spanish manager has lifted the Black Country outfit from the bottom of the second-tier table to the cusp of the top six in his initial term in charge.
Despite facing financial constraints, Albion remains competitive at the top end of the division in the current campaign. Their resilience and performance suggest that they are increasingly poised to contend for a return to the Premier League, making it their third attempt at achieving promotion.
| Championship Table (As it stands March 18th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leeds United | 38 | 42 | 82 |
| 2 | Leicester City | 37 | 41 | 82 |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 38 | 31 | 81 |
| 4 | Southampton | 36 | 26 | 73 |
| 5 | West Brom | 38 | 23 | 66 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 38 | 15 | 61 |
| 7 | Hull City | 37 | 7 | 58 |
| 8 | Coventry City | 37 | 16 | 57 |
The Baggies have refrained from spending any money on transfer fees over the course of two transfer windows this season. This lack of investment has resulted in a lower quality squad, which could have been improved with significant financial backing.
Despite this, West Bromwich Albion continues to perform admirably in the second tier of football, competing against teams with greater financial resources.
According to Transfermarkt figures, West Brom’s ranking in the Championship for team value is as follows.
West Brom’s team value ranking in the Championship
Out of the 24 teams competing in the second tier this season, West Bromwich Albion is ranked 12th in terms of team value, with a total squad worth of €53.6 million.
The Black Country team has a squad of 28 players, with the average age of the first team being 27.6 years old.
Among these players, 15 are from overseas, leading to an average value of €1.91 million per player in the squad.
The team’s declining value can be attributed to the lack of consistent investment from the previous controlling shareholder, Guochuan Lai, especially with the absence of parachute payments following a three-year gap from the Premier League.
Despite the challenges and background issues preceding Shilen Patel’s takeover, Coach Corberan has done an outstanding job, showcasing his coaching prowess. This has garnered excitement among Albion fans, who anticipate promising results with potential additional funding under Patel’s leadership.
West Brom’s most valuable players
As mentioned previously, the Baggies do not have a particularly high squad value but have some first team mainstays who are continuing to grow their stock with consistent gametime at The Hawthorns.
A host of West Brom players earn a valuation of €3.5 million, with Alex Mowatt becoming a regular back in the side after returning from his loan stint on Teesside with Middlesbrough.
Darnell Furlong has been another consistent performer at full-back, contributing to every single Championship contest and playing 3,218 minutes over the course of Albion’s campaign so far.
Josh Maja and Daryl Dike have been unable to increase their value, with the summer arrival suffering two serious ankle injuries this term while US international Dike remains out for the remainder of 2024 after rupturing his Achilles.
Jed Wallace was impressed by Patel’s conduct during the initial meeting with the Albion squad.
John Swift, valued as the club’s third-highest scorer this season, has seen limited playing time recently and has scored seven goals.
Grady Diangana, the highest-valued squad member, has been instrumental in restricting Swift’s game time. Under Corberan’s management, Diangana has been deployed in the number 10 position in the last five games, contributing two goals and an assist. This season marks his best in terms of attacking contributions since his loan arrival at The Hawthorns in the 2019/20 campaign.
There is an expectation for Diangana to maintain his form, aiding Albion in securing a play-off place comfortably.
Championship teams with higher team value than West Brom
11 Championship outfits have a higher team value than Albion, with Midlands rivals Coventry City and Stoke City placing just above the Black Country outfit with values of €54.85 million and €58.6 million respectively.
Sunderland arrives in fifth place, demonstrating a squad value of €82.6 million and boasting the youngest average aged squad in the second tier by quite a distance.
In fourth is Hull City, who have shocked the rest of the Championship with some of their recent acquisitions, with January signings Fabio Carvalho, Ryan Giles and Anass Zaroury turning the Tigers into genuine promotion contenders.
The top three highest valued squads are the sides who dropped down from the Premier League last term and dominate the rest of the division financially, with Southampton at €189.9 million, Leeds United at €204.7 million and Leicester City topping the league with a staggering €211 million.
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Jonathan Jonathan