West Brom: Shilen Patel should look to Leicester City deal for January inspiration

This week’s draw at the Stadium of Light highlights the need for January action as West Brom’s position in the play-

offs becomes increasingly uncertain.

Corberan’s team has drawn eight of their previous nine games, making it tough to recall the Baggies’ impressive start

to the season.

Albion’s struggles in front of goal, despite a good defensive foundation under Corberan, have led to five draws in

eight games.

There is an urgent need for reinforcements.

However, with solid systems of operations now in place to guarantee West Brom is not beset by the financial troubles

that became a trademark of former owner Guochuan Lai, a loan move is the most likely option in keeping with this

authority.

However, what gives West Brom fans hope is how well things can go if excellent scouting and recruitment are carried

out, even in the temporary market, as they saw in the 2018/19 season when Harvey Barnes arrived at The

Hawthorns.

From the moment he arrived in the Midlands, the swift former Fox had the genuine hunger and determination of a

player destined to play at the peak of the Premier League, which his skill and performance quickly proved.

Barnes contributed nine goals and six assists in 26 championship games for West Brom, helping them reach fourth

position and just three points away from immediate promotion in January 2019.

But what seemed too wonderful to be true was quickly proven to be real, with Barnes’ outstanding performances

being the very thing that would shatter Baggies’ hearts.

Following James Maddison’s injury, Barnes’ parent club, Leicester, took a deeper look at the winger’s performances,

which caught their attention.

West Brom fans were helpless to prevent Leicester from recalling Barnes on January 11, 2019, according to a break

provision in his contract.

Unfortunately, the season would conclude with a typical disappointment as Albion dropped out of the battle for an

automatic promotion and were defeated in the play-off semi-finals by Midlands rival Aston Villa.

However, concerns remain about how far they may have progressed if Harvey Barnes had stayed in the blue and

white stripes for another six months.

Inspired by the former Fox’s success, Patel should seek out a similar profile of pure hunger and explosiveness that

only a player yearning to play for their parent club can give.

Barnes’ superb form and ingenuity have not been replicated by any West Brom player, particularly when compared

to Aston Villa loanee Lewis Dobbin (see table above).

The 21-year-old, who has failed to impress either fans or Corberan, might be released in the winter window and

return to the Villains, leaving a slot on the West Brom roster open.

Given Barnes’ profile and personality at West Brom, Patel might return to the Foxes and put Irish international

Kasey McAteer to the test as a prospective Albion acquisition.

McAteer would complement Corberan’s defensive system and match Barnes’ explosive pace. He has struggled in the

Premier League and has been linked with a return to the Championship.

As the clock ticks down to the start of the winter window, West Brom and Shilen Patel must be ready to react to the

movements of the top flight division, not only to rescue their season, but also to ensure that their play-off rivals do

not arrive first.

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