West Bromwich Albion: Albion's summer 2026 transfer strategy is clear

At the end of the 2023-24 season, Albion had a huge problem.

On the pitch, things had gone well; the Baggies had made the play-offs and only lost to eventual winners, Southampton.

However, off the pitch concerns were mounting for new owners Bilkul.

The club had gone through the campaign with the oldest squad in the Championship (with an average age of nearly 28 years old).

The club knew they had a Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) problem they needed to get out from under, but they also had an ageing squad with very few saleable assets.

It was a problem they'd inherited due to the mismanagement of the Guochuan Lai regime.

The club had signed 13 players permanently in the final two years under Lai, following relegation from the Premier League in 2020-21 - just two were aged under 25.

Furthermore, the club released Sam Johnstone, Ken Zohore, Kieran Gibbs, Romaine Sawyers and Kamil Grosicki on frees over the same two seasons.

Those six players had cost Albion just shy of £30m in transfer fees, yet the club recouped not a penny on any of them.

The transfer policy was fundamentally flawed.

The Throstles were buying players, but the majority were joining at the height of their value (or well past their best) and deteriorating into largely valueless assets while at Albion.

It was little surprise that, by the time Bilkul took the helm in early 2024, the club were projecting a PSR breach in the tens of millions.

Bilkul clearly identified the problems of the previous ownership and set about developing a very different approach to the transfer market.

In the past two seasons, Albion have only signed one outfield player aged over 27 (Nat Phillips) and not a single one over 30.

Ten of 14 permanent signings have been aged under 25, while Albion have moved on an impressive eight players aged over 30.

The result has been remarkable; Albion have gone from having the oldest squad in the league to having one of the top 10 youngest in the Championship.

It has also led to the club being able to finally generate real profit on players.

In the past two seasons players have been sold for fees totalling around £25m more than we paid for them.

And, despite those PSR challenges now being behind Albion, it doesn't seem that this summer will see any major change in approach.

Shilen Patel outlined his transfer policy to fans in an open letter on Friday, stating that the club doesn't need to throw around big transfer fees to find value in the market.

Value is exactly what Albion are looking for, and that is evident from their first three signings of the window.

A trio of young, upcoming outfield prospects have been snapped up for modest fees in the shape of Barney Stewart (20), Jimmy-Jay Morgan (22) and Carter Pinnington (19).

Patel says that's not the end of the signings, but also says there won't be a departure from the plan either.

I expect that to mean that future signings will probably have a little more experience than those already signed on, but will still be young enough to potentially be developed into profit-making signings.

Links to players such as Danny Imray and Cameron Archer probably reflect that, as both have shown they are more than capable at the level, but at 22 and 24 respectively, have room to grow and increase in value.

Buy young, develop them, sell high, and repeat seems to be the Bilkul model.

On paper, it looks like a winning strategy; let's hope this season, it translates onto the grass.