HIGHLIGHTS

•  Nathaniel Chalobah’s move to Maccabi Haifa has fallen through, and he will remain a part of the West Brom squad.
•  The potential move to Maccabi Haifa was appealing to Chalobah due to their potential European competition involvement.
•  Although the deal fell through, Chalobah’s future at West Brom is still uncertain, and he may leave if he wants more regular playing time elsewhere.

Nathaniel Chalobah’s move to Maccabi Haifa has fallen through, with the player now back part of the West Brom squad.

Nathan Chalobah will not be joining Maccabi Haifa

The midfielder only joined Albion in January, and he made 13 appearances for Carlos Corberan’s side during the final months of the campaign, as he struggled to establish himself as a regular.

Nevertheless, it was surprising to see that Maccabi Haifa had entered advanced talks with the Baggies over a deal for the 28-year-old.

The Israeli are currently playing in Champions League qualifiers, so there’s a very good chance they will be in European competition this season, so the appeal of the move was obvious for Chalobah.

It was widely reported that he had flown over to speak to the club, with the expectation that the move would go ahead.

However, it was revealed on Saturday afternoon that Chalobah was back with Albion, and he actually played the second half of their 2-2 pre-season friendly draw at Burton Albion.

Will Nathaniel Chalobah leave West Brom?

Even though this has fallen through, it doesn’t mean that Chalobah will stay and be part of Coreberan’s squad moving forward.

The fact the club were willing to accept an offer for the player speaks volumes, and whilst he wouldn’t command a big fee, shifting his wages could be very beneficial to West Brom given their financial position.

So, nothing can be ruled out just yet, and there are still weeks left in the window for Chalobah to find a new club if he wants more regular minutes elsewhere.

But, if he does stay at The Hawthorns, he will still be part of Corberan’s plans. The Spaniard brought him on in the friendly, so it’s not like he will be frozen out and not part of the squad moving forward. Admittedly, he won’t be first-choice, but it’s down to the player to force his way into the team with his performances in training and when any opportunities do appear.

That will be difficult with the likes of Jayson Molumby, Alex Mowatt and Okay Yokuslu at the club, but he certainly does have enough quality to make his mark as the campaign progresses.

West Brom summer transfer plans

Corberan, and all the fans, are aware that this summer is going to be tough, even after the sale of Dara O’Shea to Burnley. So, there will need to be more outgoings, and Chalobah departing for Maccabi Haifa would have been a good deal for the club.

Having come from Fulham, who are in the Premier League, you would imagine he is on a decent wage, and Albion ideally wouldn’t pay that for someone who isn’t a starter in the XI. But, it’s not to be for now.

Other exits need to happen ahead of the deadline, and that’s going to impact what the club can do with new recruits, so the fans will need to show patience over the next few weeks.

Albion start their Championship season with a trip to Ewood Park to take on Blackburn Rovers on August 5.