da betsson： In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom and England midfielder Carlton Palmer has dropped an interesting takeover claim amid the club’s change of manager.
da realbet： Slaven Bilic was sacked on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after earning a well-fought point at Manchester City and he was quickly replaced by veteran boss Sam Allardyce before the day was out.
The 66-year-old has signed an 18-month contract at the Hawthorns, one that is thought to include a break clause should the Baggies be relegated from the Premier League.
And Palmer believes it has something to do with their prospective new owners.
According to the ever-reliable Telegraph reporter John Percy, current Albion chairman Guochuan Lai has held talks with an unnamed American consortium over purchasing the club for £150m.
He claims that negotiations are still ongoing over either a potential full takeover of the club or a minority stake of up to 15 per cent.
The Baggies great told FFC:
“So whether there’s a takeover happening, and the new owners have already been in conversations with Sam, and that’s the person they want to bring in.
“There’s something happening behind the scenes and obviously, it’ll all be revealed in the next few weeks.
“There’s something going on, I think a takeover is imminent, and the new owners wanted Big Sam.”
West Brom are only one victory away from moving out of the drop zone, so the decision to sack Bilic – especially after their disappointment in the transfer window – appears to be a little harsh.
The Croatian also had a player sold behind his back, so tensions understandably grew off the pitch alongside their poor results on it.
Whether Big Sam’s hiring has anything to do with a change in the boardroom still very much remains to be seen, but Palmer’s claim isn’t out of the realms of possibility.
The Baggies will need serious investment in January if they are to remain a top-flight team going forward.
AND in other news, How West Brom’s starting XI may look under Sam Allardyce…