By Kieran Maguire

3rd Sep, 2023 | 10:50am

Kieran Maguire drops 'disturbing' West Brom verdict amid 'concerning' takeover update

The finances of West Brom are ‘disturbing’ and Guochuan Lai’s asking price to sell the club is ‘concerning’.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the ongoing issues at the Hawthorns caused by their problematic owner.

As per the Express & Star, Baggies fans have been organising further protests this month to try and push club owner Lai into a full sale of the club.

Lai purchased the club for £175million in 2016, but his method of running the club has been controversial, with the Chinese businessman failing to repay loans he owes to the club on multiple occasions.

Maguire insists that Lai likely would sell the club if a big offer was presented, but his unrealistic asking price will be far higher than any prospective bidder is willing to offer.

“Working out Guochuan Lai’s motives at West Brom is close to impossible,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.

“He is not strong when it comes to communication and he appears to have a massive disdain for the loyal fans of West Brom who have conducted themselves extremely well in regards to the nature of their protests.

“If he is presented a big offer for the club I’m sure he would sell, but what is big in his mind versus what is big in the mind of a prospective buyer might be a significant amount apart.

“It is concerning given the amount of debt that he has saddled the club with and the unpaid loans due to the club from himself and former owners.

“The financial landscape of West Brom continues to be disturbing.

“While the club is not in an immediate crisis, they are not where they want to be given their recent participation in the Premier League.“

In other news, Kieran Maguire slams ‘chaotic and clueless’ Guochuan Lai after £2m West Brom news