West Bromwich Albion extended their unbeaten streak to six games in the Championship with a comfortable victory over Bristol City, securing a 2-0 win. This fourth win in their recent run of good form solidifies their position in the playoff spots under Carlos Corberan, as they are now eight points ahead of seventh-placed Hull City heading into the International break.
Tom Fellows and Jed Wallace scored the goals in the match at the Hawthorns, with Conor Townsend providing the assist for Wallace’s decisive goal from a defensive position. Despite Townsend’s established role in the team under the Baggies’ manager, there’s another player at West Brom earning more than double his salary, which is quite surprising considering his limited contribution to the first team.
Adam Reach is reported to be earning £40,000 per week according to Capology, despite his peripheral role in the squad. He only made his first appearance of the season in late December due to injury issues and hasn’t been able to consistently challenge for a regular starting spot since then.
He has gone on to make an additional 11 appearances, stepping in competently at left-back in recent weeks when Townsend was unavailable due to injury.
Known for his versatility, as praised by former Sheffield Wednesday teammate Glenn Loovens during their time together, Reach has played in various positions throughout his career. Corberan may see value in keeping the experienced 31-year-old due to his ability to fill in gaps as needed.
However, with his high weekly salary of £40,000, making him the top earner at West Brom, surpassing many reliable players who feature more frequently, it might be prudent to consider letting go of the former Wednesday player to ease the wage bill.
Comparing Adam Reach’s salary to the rest of the West Brom squad, he significantly outpaces Wallace by £15,000 per week despite Wallace’s recent standout performance against Bristol City. Additionally, Reach earns £7,700 more than Daryl Dike, another player whose frequent injuries raise concerns about the sustainability of his hefty salary.
| West Brom’s top five highest earners – 2023/24 | |
|---|---|
| 1. Adam Reach | £40k per week |
| 2. Daryl Dike | £32.3k per week |
| 3. Jed Wallace | £25k per week |
| 4. Okay Yokuslu | £25k per week |
| 5. Alex Mowatt | £22.8k per week |
| Sourced by Capology | |
Okay Yokuslu and Alex Mowatt, who have both been rock solid all through this Championship campaign so far, are also below Reach when it comes to the top five earners staggeringly.
Townsend will feel very aggrieved with his paltry £11.5k per week salary too, especially with how well the Baggies number three did back in Corberan’s XI against Liam Manning’s visitors on Saturday.
Despite being absent from his side’s previous two games in the division, the 31-year-old slotted back in seamlessly.
The left-back wouldn’t just be content at teeing up Wallace for the crucial second goal on the day, he would also help himself to two interceptions and five duels won to preserve the clean sheet and win.
With Reach’s contract coming to an end when this season is over and done with at the Hawthorns anyway, it might well be in everyone’s best interests to get rid of their highest earner in the summer to then redistribute that money more fairly.
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