Seven-figure fee agreed with Premier League club for West Brom player
Alex Palmer could be heading back to Luton Town as an offer is said to have been accepted by the Baggies
West Bromwich Albion fans thought they were clear of any more significant departures from their first-team squad when Dara O’Shea was cashed in on earlier in the summer, but things could be about to change.
O’Shea’s exit to Premier League side Burnley was a hard one to stomach as the defender had been developed at The Hawthorns, but the £7 million fee is one that the hierarchy could not afford to turn down with parachute payments no longer coming into the club.
There were expected to be no more senior sales though with O’Shea’s exit plugging the gap in the finances – so there was a shock on the eve of the Baggies’ friendly with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday that goalkeeper Alex Palmer was left out because of a potential move elsewhere.
What has Carlos Corberan said on Alex Palmer’s future?
Josh Griffiths kept goal instead for Albion in their 4-3 defeat against the Trotters as Palmer was left out, and after the match head coach Carlos Corberan revealed that talks were ongoing regarding the 26-year-old’s future but no agreement had been reached.
“I’m out of the process of negotiations so I don’t know, I only know that the club received the offer, that contact has been made with the club,” Corberan said, per BirminghamLive.
“Now it’s time to evaluate the offer, but that is out of my responsibility – my responsibility is with the team, to understand the moments we must play better in order to start the season the way I want us to.”
Despite the Spaniard’s belief that discussions were still ongoing though regarding Palmer’s future, TalkSPORT have claimed that a fee has been agreed with Premier League newboys Luton Town for his services.
What fee have West Brom reportedly accepted from Luton for Alex Palmer?
Palmer of course has already played for Town in his career, having spent a brief time at Kenilworth Road on an emergency loan deal in 2022 when the club’s goalkeepers got injured.
He featured twice for Luton before heading back to The Hawthorns – by that point in his career he’d only played once for the Baggies in an EFL Cup match against Arsenal, with all his other career appearances coming in loan spells away from the club.
Palmer finally got his chance though in-between the sticks as a first-choice goalkeeper last season at the end of Steve Bruce’s time in charge and he cemented his position under Corberan, playing 23 times in the Championship and he was set to go into the new campaign as the starter.
What is Alex Palmer’s contract situation at West Brom?
Palmer is under contract at West Brom for the foreseeable future, having last signed a new deal in May 2022.
Still having only played once for the club by then, Palmer extended his deal until the summer of 2026, meaning that he now has three years left on his contract in the Midlands.
It is somewhat of a surprise that it may only take Luton £2.5 million to bring Palmer back to Kenilworth Road, but if they do manage to land him then they are signing one of the Championship’s top stoppers.
