West Brom owner Shilen Patel: Buying the club changed my life – now for the Premier League.
Florida-based entrepreneur talks exclusively to Telegraph Sport in first national newspaper interview since taking over Championship club.
West Bromwich Albion have emerged from the most troubling periods in their recent history and now, under new owner Shilen Patel, are dreaming of a Premier League return.
For the first time in many years, Albion are planning for a bright future with Patel providing the financial support, care and dedication to reinvigorate one of the Football League’s founder members.
Ever since the Florida-based entrepreneur completed his £60 million takeover in February, ending the turbulent reign of former owner Guochuan Lai, the change in mood has been tangible.
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This is his first national newspaper interview since his arrival and, over the course of an hour, it is already clear that this famous old club has got under his skin.
“It’s certainly changed my life,” he says, smiling as he sits in the Allen Suite at the Hawthorns.
“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.
“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.
“I just feel like the Premier League is home for this club – but we have to earn it.”
Owner Shilen Patel and chief executive Andrew Nestor in the Allen Suite at the Hawthorns chatting to our correspondent John Percy
Owner Patel and chief executive Andrew Nestor (rear) in the Allen Suite at the Hawthorns chatting to our correspondent John Percy Tom Pilston
Patel, 44, quickly emerged as the club’s preferred bidder after opening negotiations last September, and the rebuilding job is already well underway.
West Brom are fourth in the Championship, with their highly-regarded head coach Carlos Corberan now able to flourish and develop a squad aligned with his vision.
“We know this club can sustain in the Premier League,” says Patel. “We see clubs that are our size or smaller that have found winning strategies to stay there and thrive.
“This was always a really special opportunity and to have this type of club available doesn’t happen all the time.”
Before focusing on Albion’s new chapter, it is perhaps important to reflect on the last three stormy years.
Relegated from the Premier League in 2021, West Brom were in danger of severe financial problems with Lai declining to invest.
When the parachute payments ran out last year, the prospect of administration, a fire sale of players and staff cuts were all possible down the line.
The loans borrowed from American investment company MSD to guarantee cash-flow, totalling £28 million, were a serious concern.
While Corberan managed to keep the team competitive on the pitch, the leadership of managing director Mark Miles, plus other senior staff, was vital in maintaining stability.
Even today, Patel will have to pay back the MSD loan and a separate historical £3.7 million loan from 2014 taken out by Jeremy Peace, another former chairman.
“I came here searching for red flags and expecting to find several, because there always are in deals like this,” says Patel.
“What we found was that the risks we were aware of were the ones we needed to focus on.
“With all the turmoil around the club, the turnover and different situations, it didn’t really have the opportunity to plan beyond the next few months.
“That’s how clubs like this lose the ground they’ve gained over years of effective operation, good success in talent acquisition and competing.
“The main thing it needed was to stick to a long-term plan, and beyond this season.”
‘You walk around and see history’
Patel’s determination to buy the club never wavered. A multi-millionaire, he points to one visit to the Hawthorns and the club’s training ground in late October as pivotal in the takeover process.
He was joined by Andrew Nestor, a long-term business partner who has assumed the responsibility of sporting director at the club.
“We were so impressed walking around the stadium” recalls Patel. “To say the Hawthorns is nearly 125 years old is really something – we have a few stadiums in the United States that are over a century old and they show their character, let’s just say.
“You walk around here and you see history, love and passion. It left a big impression and that was when we realised we had to get the deal done.”
