West Brom may still be regretting £15m transfer mistake, now playing for Championship rivals: View | OneFootball

Highlights

West Brom are in a difficult financial position under owner Guachuan Lai, and there is a fear that players will be sold unless they are sold before January.

That is particularly frustrating for supporters when they look at the work Carlos Corberan is doing with the team.

The Spaniard inherited a side that were 23rd in the Championship table in October last year, but his tactical brilliance and smart man-management inspired an instant turnaround, and they ended up challenging for the top six.

So, a full season under the former Huddersfield chief was always going to be intriguing, and he has the side in the play-off mix despite no limited backing in the summer, which also saw captain Dara O’Shea sold to Burnley.

Naturally, when money is tight, it can make you look at what Albion have done with funds in the past, and it leaves you wondering if Corberan had such financial support.

And, one wasted signing that sticks out is Oliver Burke, with the Baggies paying £15m to sign the Scotsman back in 2017, in what has to be one of their worst deals ever.

Albion were in the Premier League at the time, but it was still a significant outlay for the attacker, who had struggled with RB Leipzig after a big-money move from Nottingham Forest.

Those poor performances in Germany should have rung alarm bells for the scouting team at The Hawthorns, but they were ignored.

His first season with the club was an utterly forgettable one, as the side were relegated, with four different managers in the dugout at points throughout the season.

Such upheaval is never ideal for a player, so you do have sympathy for Burke coming into such a difficult environment.

Yet, relegation to the Championship didn’t allow the forward to become a key player.

Whilst injuries didn’t help, he made just a handful of appearances in the league before joining Celtic in January, where he also failed to impress.

By now, it was clear Burke wasn’t going to be part of the plans moving forward, and another loan move followed.

In the end, he left Albion for Sheffield United, with Callum Robinson coming the other way, having failed to score in 20 league appearances over three seasons.

It’s fair to say Burke's subsequent career path means the Baggies aren’t missing much, as he has bounced around clubs, going from Millwall to Werder Bremen, and he is now with Birmingham.

The 26-year-old is yet to register a goal or an assist in 11 Championship outings this season, although he did play a part in a 3-1 win over Albion at St. Andrew’s.

The former club curse didn’t strike that night, but, even if it does later in the campaign at The Hawthorns, the West Brom fans won’t be wishing Burke was still at the club.

However, there will surely be a regret that they wasted such a big transfer in their final year in the Premier League, and a lingering wonder about what Corberan could do if he was given £15m to strengthen this team.