The Chinese takeover of West Bromwich Albion was finally completed this week. Let’s delve into the ways the club can move forward in the post-Peace era.
Controlled Ambition
When the Guochuan Lai led takeover was first announced, at the beginning of August, statements from the club sought to rein in the ambition of the fans. There were no wild promises of Champions League football within the next five years or declarations that the Albion can be as big as Real Madrid. And the absence of such irresponsible statements is a promising sign.
That being said, West Brom do need to push on from their current position. In the Premier League, survival can fast turn into stagnation. West Brom have been trending downwards ever since the second-half of the season slump under Steve Clarke in 2013. Tony Pulis arrested that decline, momentarily at least, when he took over from Alan Irvine, but he has since done little to move the club forward.
The competition at the top end of the Premier League should not be underestimated. The group of leading clubs are simply impenetrable – bar a Leicester-like miracle. Then there are the likes of Everton, West Ham and Southampton who are fit and ready to fill in any gaps left at the top. With all of this in mind, Albion will be hard fought to consistently push much higher than 8th or 9th, unless significant resources are invested in the club.
Albion may have to settle for midtable security and gradual growth in hopes of catching teams like Everton and Southampton. That coupled with genuine attempts to progress in the cup competitions would be a marked success for the new owners. 
Management Structure
Tony Pulis has alluded to the issues he has faced working under a ‘continental’ management structure for the first time in his career. With Nick Hammond and Richard Garlick expected to continue in their prominent roles behind the scenes, it appears the new owners are persisting with the continental structure. Judging by his previous comments, Pulis has been a reluctant collaborator under this system, and this lack of cohesion behind the scenes has been to the detriment of the club.
These tensions make Pulis’ exit in the near future seemingly inevitable; so Albion must already be identifying suitable replacements. One of the purposes of a continental structure is that the club shouldn’t have to undergo an unsettling upheaval during the transition between each Head Coach. If planned correctly, Pulis’ exit should be seamless.
Albion need to identify potential candidates that will fit into the management structure better than Pulis has; that will trust the clubs’ recruitment; and that can make compromises with the club to reach a shared vision for progression. 
Transfer strategy
West Brom’s approach to this summers’ transfer window was directionless. Deals were left too late and Albion ended up settling for their back-up options. The Sadio Berahino saga, which has plagued the club for the last three windows, was once again mishandled. New Chairman John Williams’ post-deadline statement epitomised a transfer window of confusion, frustration and ultimately disappointment. Now that the takeover has been finalised there are no excuses heading into January.
The issues within the squad that have been apparent long before this summer were, once again, not probably addressed. Albion still desperately need to add youth and quality reinforcements to their squad. Therefore, it is vital that Albion reassess their previous transfer strategies and look to take a more assertive approach to the market. A key aspect of this is ensuring the club’s management structure is all pulling in the same direction. There are enough hurdles involved in recruiting players without the internal politics of a club getting in the way.
Communication
Interacting with the fans was never Jeremy Peace’s strongest quality. To be fair to Peace, it is not always an easy task, and there is a fine balance between keeping the fans on side and intensifying their frustrations. John Williams demonstrated how it shouldn’t be done with his politically-veiled post-deadline statement, which was understandably met with derision.
The arrival of foreign investors prompts a combination of blind faith and cautionary mistrust. Albion supporters know little of their new owners, so it is important that those in charge maintain an honest and transparent line of communication. In doing so, their intentions will remain clear and, in time, they will gain the supporters trust. We all want a unified West Brom – in the stands, in the boardroom and on the pitch. 
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