Carlos Corberan stance clear as West Brom's new owner Shilen Patel outlines 'collaboration' plans

Shilen Patel is officially the new majority owner of West Bromwich Albion after acquiring an 87.8 percent stakeholding in the football club.

The American entrepreneur has teamed up with his father, Kiran Patel, to purchase the bulk of West Brom under the company Bilkul Football WBA. Shilen Patel, based in Florida but expected to be at The Hawthorns regularly, will also conduct the role of Chairman in B71.

With the takeover speculation rife over recent weeks before its completion, the future of Carlos Corberan has been under direct scrutiny. There have been plentiful links to Torino boss Ivan Juric, too, with contact reportedly made to the Croatian.

Foreign owners have taken over other Sky Bet Championship clubs in recent years and made their mark by replacing managers. At Hull City, Acun Ilicali sacked Grant McCann in favour of Shota Arveladze. Meanwhile, Birmingham City saw a change of management under Tom Wagner, with John Eustace swapped for Wayne Rooney.

Many have theorised the same could happen at West Brom, with the recent success of Corberan to be overlooked in favour of an alternative being hand-picked by Patel. The new owner has rubbished this claim, however, with the 43-year-old keen to publicise his faith in Corberan going forward.

Shilen Patel gives Carlos Corberan verdict

Patel stopped by West Brom earlier on in the takeover process and met Corberan at the time. The initial inklings were positive and they have since been cemented with Albion motoring on towards qualifying for the Championship play-offs.

"I'm really excited and happy that Carlos is our manager," Patel said in an interview with WBA TV. "To me, he is the manager with the perfect mindset for the project that we are embarking on.

"I had the chance to meet with Carlos very briefly when I made a visit here towards the back end of October. He certainly made an impression on me. I think you can tell he has a great sense of detail and his intensity is apparent.

"The work he has done and the results he has achieved in the time he has been there, they speak for themself. I'm really looking forward to seeing how he gets the best out of players now and in years to come," Patel continued.

Patel involved but trusts others to carry out duties

Initially, Patel will be getting stuck in at West Brom but the hope eventually is for a team of trusted people to lead the football club alongside him going forward. Synergy is key for the American and his future plans.

"I think it's important to understand the uniqueness of football. I want to be very involved, especially early on," Patel revealed. "There's a lot I want to learn and need to learn about the context of the club including everything that is happening today, where the strengths are and where the opportunites might be.

"Ultimately, my goal is to have a trusted team that is living and breathing the business of my team every day. My key values are trust and transparency. I don't like to be in the way. I respect the strengths other people bring to the table.

"I believe in collaboration. I don't believe in micro-management. I know my strengths and what my strengths are not. I try to build teams that complement what I can and cannot do. My goal is to set the vision, create an environment of stability and build a high-quality team competent and trustworthy," Patel continued.