West Brom loaned young academy graduate Taylor Gardner-Hickman to Championship rivals Bristol City in the summer.
West Brom had a somewhat intriguing summer transfer window.
It seemed like they were desperate to offload any names they could, with Carlos Corberan very much limited in who he could bring in to the club.
Pipa and Jeremy Sarmiento joined on loan, whilst Josh Maja signed as a free agent. Dara O’Shea was the only name eventually moved on permanently, though there were loan exits for Karlan Grant and Gardner-Hickman among others.
The pair played important roles in the first-team last season, albeit with neither player playing overly impressive, and their loan exits in the summer were surprising for some.
Paul Robinson labels Gardner-Hickman exit as ‘strange’
One such person who thinks the loan exit of Gardner-Hickman was an odd one is former Baggies full-back Paul Robinson.
In a recent interview with Express & Star, the now 44-year-old who made more than 200 total appearances for West Brom said:
“I think at this moment in time he’s [Corberan] done a great job, especially with the limited funds he’s had to work with. The squad is down to the bare bones, he’s had to let players go – good players in my eyes, like Taylor Gardner-Hickman, good footballers who you’d keep as squad players, I found that strange.”
So far this season, the versatile Gardner-Hickman has made 12 Championship appearances for Bristol City, managing two assists with his side currently sitting in 11th place of the table, having recently appointed a new manager in Liam Manning.
Recruitment planning, and what next for West Brom…
Whose decision it was to loan out Gardner-Hickman in the summer; be that Corberan’s, the recruitment team’s, or the owner’s, remains to be seen.
It’s not a decision that’s derailed their season. Corberan and West Brom are still performing very well though having Gardner-Hickman about the first-team would’ve been a boost, and loaning him to a top six rival is a somewhat questionable decision as well.
It could be safe to assume that both he and Grant were loaned out to take some temporary strain off the wage bill and that suggests some troubled financial waters at The Hawthorns right now.
Many are hoping to see a takeover go through at some point in 2024 and there’s murmurings of that happening on social media.
A new, more prosperous owner would bring about some more stability to the club, and if Corberan had had that stability in the summer and some spending money too, then the Baggies may well have been on par with the likes of Leicester City at the top of the table this season.
The foundations are certainly there for Corberan to take West Brom to the next level, but there’s a few key missing parts right now.